Everything Changes
by LovingEmmett
Summary: Her whole existence was never supposed to be a possibility. Nobody believed it could happen, but it did. At seventeen years old, she moves to Forks and meets the Cullen family and everything changes. AU. Jasper/Bella.
1. The Truth

**Summary: Her whole existence was never supposed to be a possibility. Nobody believed it could happen, but it did. At seventeen years old, she moves to Forks and meets the Cullen family and everything changes.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight of any of the characters. **

**--**

"_Bella." My mother's weak voice came. I moved closer to her taking her hand in mine. I was smart for my age and knew my mother was reaching the end of her life. "Bella, sweetie, I need to tell you something." I nodded for her to go on. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Tears lined her eyes and threatened to spill onto her cheeks. "Bella, Mommy doesn't have much time left in this world." Tears were now spilling onto both of our cheeks. Her frail frame shook as she tried to regain control over her emotions. _

"_Mommy, don't go."_

"_Aw, Baby. I don't have a choice." She cried. "But you're going to be okay without me, okay? You're going to live with Aunt Nicole and Uncle Ray." She ran her weak hand down the side of my face wiping the tears away. _

"_Can I be sad, Mommy?"_

_She smiled weakly at me. "Yes, for awhile you can. But in time, you'll be happy again. You'll grow up and be happy, okay?" I nodded despite myself. "Bella, I need to tell you something and you have to listen to me. You have to listen very carefully." I nodded as she patted the spot beside her in the hospital bed. I climbed up on the bed snuggling into my mother's hug. "Bella, you're a very, very special little girl. So special. You have abilities other little girls don't have, do you understand?"_

"_Like running like you told me not to do around people?" I asked remembering the first time she told me I had to run slowly if I ever ran in public. She told me that I had to run like everyone else and not race cars. _

"_Yes, just like that. Do you know why you can run so fast and lift heavy things?" I nodded. "Bella, before you were born, Mommy met an amazing person. His name was Charlie. He was very, very nice, and Mommy fell in love with him. But Charlie wasn't like normal people. He was different. This might be hard to understand, but he was a vampire." I had vaguely heard of vampires form various stories. They were bats that came out at night in the form of people, and they drank blood. I gasped when I realized what this meant. "Don't worry, Baby. He was a very special vampire. He didn't hurt people like other vampires. He was so kindhearted, just like you… One day, I discovered I was going to have a baby, you." She gave me a weak smile. Her strength was decreasing rapidly. Worry consumed me._

"_Mommy, you don't have to tell me now. Tell me in the morning, when you're stronger."_

"_No, Bells, I have to tell you now." She took a deep breath trying to hide her weakness. "Anyway, I eventually had you. Charlie and I were so happy. But three weeks later, Charlie… died." Pain flashed across her features. I tried comforted her by stroking her arm. She gave me a soft smile. "As you grew up, I began to realize that you were half human-half vampire. Do you understand, Bella?" I nodded. My father was a vampire. My mother was human. I was part of both of them rolled into one. "I did some research since I made this discovery. There are very few people like you. But there are things you should know. But you have to keep it a secret, okay?" I waited giving her an encouraging nod. "Okay, first, you're immortal. Do you know what that means?" I nodded. It meant I would never die. "You'll grow until you are eighteen or nineteen then your physical appearance won't change..." _


	2. Welcome To Forks

I heard the distant beep of my alarm clock. Groaning, I rolled over moving my fingers around the clock until I found the button I was looking for. The beeping stopped as I rolled back onto my back refusing to open my eyes to the light of day. After ten minutes, I heard the door open and my aunt's light footsteps as she walked into my room.

"Bells, you have to get up. We have to be at your school in forty-five minutes."

"We?" I asked groggily as I yawned.

"The principal wants to talk to me. Have any idea what that's about?" Her voice was suspicious and full of implication.

"Nope." I lied smirking as I stood up. "You have nothing to worry about, Aunt Nicole. I'm a perfect little angel."

"Perfect little angel my ass." She mumbled jokingly knowing I'd hear. I laughed and headed towards the bathroom to get ready.

--

Aunt Nicole stared at me with disappointment in her eyes. I looked away from her feeling a twinge of guilt before looking back at Principal Humphrey. His fingers were laced together on top of his desk. He looked at me and sighed heavily. I shifted in my chair under his gaze and looked away from him.

"Miss. Swan, I'm not sure what to do about you." He sighed again. I looked back at him as he sat back slightly smug. His shirt pulled against his pot belly. Sweat stains stretched down the sides of his shirts. It was gross. "This… is inexcusable." He looked at my aunt. "I spoke to my boss. With her past experiences, it would be in the school's best interest as well as…"

"Will you just cut to the chase? I'm not getting any younger." I glared at him.

"You're expelled from Dale High, Isabella." He said smugly.

"Whatever." I sighed rolling my eyes as I stood and started to walk out of the office.

"Isabella Swan!" Aunt Nicole whispered at me harshly.

"What? I'm out of here." I briskly walked out.

"Excuse me." My aunt said. I heard her footsteps behind me. "Bella! This is not something to just brush away!"

"What do I care? That asshole has had it out for me since day one." I said indifferently. I really didn't care. Dale High had been my personal hell since the day I started there. The teachers hated me, and I could care less. I was in and out of trouble all the time. Mr. Humphrey suspended me six times for no reason. So what if I skipped a class or two every now and then? So what if I yelled at my English teacher? She called me a bitch under her breath first. There were plenty of other high schools in the area. What did it matter if I left Dale?

"Bella, this is completely irresponsible. Think of your future!"

"I am. It'll be better now that I don't have to see the assholes that run this school day in and day out."

"Bella, please, I know that you're having a hard time. I am too, but I'm at the end of my rope here."

I sighed guiltily. Aunt Nicole was the only family had left and I was causing her trouble. It wasn't fair to her. "I'm sorry, Aunt Nicole."

"I know you are. Maybe it's time we get out of Boston." She sighed. I shut my empty locker and gathered all the stuff worth keeping. We walked in silence outside then wordlessly separated ways to go to our respective cars. I didn't know what to say. Boston had so many memories. While I hated living in the same house Uncle Ray once lived in, Aunt Nicole loved it. It was the only way she felt close to him anymore.

I drove home in my black BMW M6 thinking about my situation. I didn't want to change. I didn't want to feel the pain, and for the last year and a half that I've been 'rebelling,' I didn't have to feel pain. I forced myself not to think about it. But now I was causing Aunt Nicole pain, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. She was the one person in this world who gave a damn about me.

I pulled up in front of our home and opened the car door. Aunt Nicole's car was already parked beside mine. I walked through the front door immediately confronted with the sounds of my aunt's soft cries. Damn my vampire hearing that I inherited from my father. My heart ached knowing it was my fault. I walked further into the house and found her lying in a ball clutching Uncle Ray's picture in her arms. Guilt hit me ten-fold. I chocked back a sob of my own as I approached her. I lifted her with ease and cradled her in my lap as she sobbed.

"I'm so sorry, Bella." She whimpered.

"No, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"I miss him so much."

"I know."

--

Two weeks ago I made my decision to stop hurting my aunt. I made the decision to leave Boston without her. She couldn't leave behind her and Uncle Ray's house. I knew that, and I didn't want her to have to choose between me and her memories. She would choose me and be miserable because of it. I wasn't about to let that happen. So I told her I was leaving. After some convincing, she offered me her house in a small town in Forks, Washington. I accepted the invitation because I had no where better to go.

The air was heavy with moisture of morning dew and last night's rain. Thick clouds blocked out all the sun's light to the point it was hard to believe it was already eleven in the morning. The wind blew cold air in my direction as I sat down at on the bench just outside the building. I looked around to be sure I hadn't missed my ride's car, but, unfortunately, I hadn't. About ten feet away, a young couple was greeting one another. The man was wearing army pants with a dark green shirt. His arms were wrapped tightly around the woman's body as she sobbed into the crook of his neck. I looked away feeling I was intruding on a personal moment. A few people were saying a bittersweet goodbye to their loved ones who were leaving on trips. I sighed and turned my eyes back to the parking lot not really finding anything of interest to look at.

"Bella Swan?" Someone's voice came. My eyes snapped up to meet the eyes of a middle-aged gentleman dressed in jeans and a white button down shirt. I gave him a soft smile and stood reaching for my luggage. "Allow me."

"Thank you." He walked me towards his car and motion for me to get in the front seat before walking to the back of the car to deal with my two suitcases. I got in the car as I had been instructed and allowed my eye a brief moment to look around. The car smelled like gasoline with a hint of perfume, his wife's no doubt. I pulled the seatbelt across my chest even though the gesture was completely unnecessary. The man walked around to the driver's side of the car and climbed in.

"I'm Ryan, by the way."

"Well, thank you, Ryan, for picking me up today." My voice was soft and musical at the same time. He smiled at me.

"It's no trouble at all. You're uncle is a great man." He told me before growing sad. "Was a good man." I nodded and looked out the window refusing to allow the sadness to return. "Sorry." He mumbled after a second.

"It's fine." I assured him the best I could. "Do you live in Forks?"

"No, we live just outside of the Port Angeles." He told me. "Not far from your house."

We drove in silence for a good half an hour. I studied the scenes rushing by outside the car trying to remember as much of it as I could. He drove quickly swerving through traffic much like how I usually drive. Only I like to push the limits of my car a little further, but I wasn't going to complain about it. I noticed the sign saying that we were entering Forks long before Ryan announced it. After another fifteen minutes of silence, we pulled up in front of the house.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright living on your own, Bella?" Ryan asked me.

"Yes, I'll manage."

"Well, my wife and I only live about forty-five minutes or a half an hour from here, so if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me." He jotted his number down on an old Wendy's napkin and handed it to me.

"Thank you."

"You're uncle was a good man, Bella. I've been in the army for ten years, and I've never met a better solider or friend than him. He was my best friend, Bella, so if you need anything…"

"I'll call." I promised. He smiled and got out of the car with me to get my things out or the trunk. "Thank you again." I sighed.

"If you talk to your Aunt Nikki, tell her I said 'hi.'"

"I will. You should call her. She'd be glad to hear from you."

"Maybe I will." He mused before smiling once again. "See you around, Bella. Don't be a stranger."

I smiled. "Bye." I dragged my suitcases behind me and waved to Ryan from the doorstep. He disappeared around the corner as I unlocked the door and stepped in. Now picking my suitcases up with ease, I dropped them by the stairs and began looking around. The house was large for one person, two floors with four bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms, but I really didn't have anywhere else to go. My aunt and uncle had brought this house many years ago before I moved in with them after my mother's death when I was eleven. They had planned to start a family there until my uncle was transferred to the other side of the country and they settled in Boston. It was a nice house with all the amenities already included. When I decided to move, Aunt Nicole had a hard time dealing with it and to cope she began shopping for things for the house. It drove me crazy since I was more than capable to pay for everything myself, but she insisted. I began unpacking the many boxes of my new and old things that had been delivered over the last week trying to keep distracted. I worked for six hours before ordering pizza and watching TV until I decided to go to bed.


	3. Unpleasant Surprise

Before I moved Aunt Nicole mailed the appropriate forms to Fork High, so I could start back at school right away. I told her it was unnecessary to jump into it right away since I would live for eternity stuck at eighteen, so I'd be doing and redoing high school on many occasions. She wouldn't budge on my education though and forced me to go. When my alarm went off, I nearly crushed it. I definitely didn't want to wake up. I groaned and hit the snooze button so it would go off again in five minutes. Usually Aunt Nicole had to come and drag me out of bed, but she was only the other side of the country. She wouldn't know if I skipped… No, I had to go. I couldn't disappoint her anymore, which is the whole reason I'm living in this wet, cold, dreary hellhole.

Groaning, I threw the cover off me and turned off my alarm before it went off for a second time. Standing up, I headed to my bathroom to shower. I spent extra long in the shower trying to wake up. It helped some. By the time I finally got out, I was awake enough to function. I dried my long brown hair with my hair dryer leaving it to fall down my back with its natural wave. I walked back to my room and into my closet in search of something to wear. I decided to wear a black miniskirt, a red corset top, and black heeled boots. I grabbed my long black coat that fell to just above my knees and slipped it on. Hurrying downstairs, I grabbed a piece of cold pizza leftover from the night before and my key ring with five keys on it. I walked outside and towards the large six car garage. It looked like it could be a second house. I opened the side door and looked around. My four babies sat in a row: a black BMW M6, a dark blue Porsche Boxster, a red Corvette z06, and a silver Jaguar XF. I decided to take the Corvette today since it was my favorite and found the key on my key ring before opening the garage door and getting in.

I had brought all my cars myself. Between the money my mother left me and the money my father left me, I had plenty lying around to spoil myself with fast cars. I sped down the highway swerving through cars to get past the people who drove slow enough to be no match to my hundred miles per hour but fast enough to get in my way. I found the school right off the highway as every other major establishment was in Forks. I turned into the parking lot marked as the student lot and parked it in the back lot. Most of the cars were old, hand-me-down cars that had probably considered old before I was born. Most of which were now covered with orange rust. There were a few "nicer" cars. A couple of them were at least from this century. There was a nice, shiny Volvo parked a few spaces down from my car. But for the most part, I stuck out like a sore thumb, and I didn't care.

I could feel eyes on me as I walked in the direction signs designated as the way to main office. I ignored the stares and walked into the small building set off to the side. I walked in, and all the secretaries looked up.

"I'm Bella Swan." I told the redhead secretary that was sitting at the front desk. I rolled my eyes at her shocked expression not trying to hide my annoyance. "I need my schedule."

She nodded and scrambled to find the papers. "He… Here you go, dear. This is your schedule and you'll need to get your teachers to sign this and bring it back at the end of the day." I nodded and turned to walk out feeling her eye on my back the entire time.

I never understood why people looked at me like that. Sure, I looked different, but nothing amazing as people acted I was. I had very pale skin in comparison to everyone else, long brown hair, and brown eyes. There was the whole 'vampire beauty' thing, but I was only half vampire. That's hardly anything to get excited about as far as looks go.

I brushed the thought away and looked at my schedule instantly memorizing it before slipping it into my bag. I still had ten minutes before school was going to begin so I headed towards my car to avoid having anyone try to talk to me.

"Great. Today must be my lucky day." I mumbled to myself when I saw a guy was leaning against my car. I was fuming when I saw him and his smug smile. "Do you mind getting the fuck off my car?" I growled.

He pushed off of it without dropping his smug smile. I moved to get into the driver's seat, but he moved himself right in front of it. Stepping back, I glared at him and crossed my arm across my chest. "Hey." He said trying to act all smooth.

"Is there something I can help you with?" I said in a low, threatening tone.

He seemed unaware of the anger building up within me. "I'm Eric." He smirked. "And you're lucky enough to have a date with me on Friday night."

I looked at him with disgust written all over my face, but he still didn't get the hint. "Don't flatter yourself. Now, if you knew what was good for you, you'd get your ass away from me."

"If you knew what was good for you, you'd say yes to this Friday. I'm a fun guy to know." He flashed a smirk at me. I rolled my eyes at him. But as soon as he moved to come closer to me, I gave him a swift push away. Now, since I am part vampire and had inherited my inhuman strength from my father, the little nudge I gave him sent him stumbling back until he lost balance and fell on his butt. Much to my delight, his butt plopped down right in a puddle of murky water. He looked at where he was now sitting then back at me in shock. I smirked at him and leaned over him.

"I told you that it was in your best interest to leave me alone." I tapped his head. "Next time, maybe you should at least to pretend to have a brain up here."

A smirk played my lips as I turned and walked towards the school buildings again. Everyone was watching me walked away from Eric, who was still sitting on the ground in shock. The bell was going to ring within the next two minutes, so I headed to building D for English. A lot of the student were already in their seats were talking to friends around the room by the time I walked in. Ignoring them, I walked over to teacher. The sweaty, balding man looked up at me as shock entered his eyes. I rolled my eyes at him and pushed the slip towards him.

"Is… Isabella Swan?" Her stammered.

"Bella." I corrected.

"Ugh, it's great to… um, have you here. Here's your book." He used a shaky hand to push the literature book closer to me. "You may sit beside Mike." I looked around the room and saw a blonde baby-faced boy raise his hand. I nodded at him and went back to wear everyone had hung up their coats. Undoing the three large buttons of my coat, I slipped it off. I heard every guy gasp as I hung it up.

"Pigs." I murmured and walked to my new seat. Mike was gaping at me as I slipped into the seat beside him. I didn't look at him as I dug through my bag to find a pen, but I could feel his eyes burning into me. I was used to this, so I ignored it without a problem. I slide down in my chair and crossed my legs. I hardly noticed that I was impatiently tapping my pen against my textbook to the beat of the drum of the song that had been playing in my head all morning.

"H… Hi, I'm Mike." So Mike finally grew some balls and got the courage to speak to the new girl. Good for him. I looked at him for a second before flicking my eyes away hoping he understood my annoyance by the gesture. But he kept looking at me.

"Uh-huh." I wasn't interested. Not that I expected to be interested in anybody here. It was Forks after all! Mr. Brenner, I think was his name, stood up and started pacing the room talking about Romeo and Juliet. Great! Something that wouldn't hold my attention since I've already read it half a dozen times. I opened my notebook and began doodling different things mostly patterns using different lines and shapes. Every five minutes, I glanced at the clock hoping time would move faster. This class was so boring. Mr. Sweaty-bald-guy kept looking at me. I mean disgusting!

Finally, the bell rang. I shot out of my seat. For a second, I froze and glanced around to see if I had gotten up too fast for it to be considered 'human.' I sighed with relief when nobody seemed to notice. I retrieved my coat, put it on, grabbed my bag, and walked out as quickly as possible without causing suspicion.

The next two classes passed in the same way, everyone gawked at me like a new toy. A girl in my Spanish class, Jessica, tried to get some gossip out of me, but I ignored her. Then in history, I was stuck sitting beside Mike again, which made me groan loudly. I hung back in history for a few extra minutes claiming I had to talk to the teacher, which I didn't, so that I didn't have to walk with him then end up sitting at his table. I just walked outside for about ten minutes before walking to the cafeteria. I opened the door, and everyone, I mean, everyone turned to look at the new meat. I rolled my eyes and glared at the spectators, and I went to an empty table dropping my things with a thud. Everyone was talking in low murmurs thinking I couldn't hear them. If I was completely human, I probably wouldn't have. But I had the pleasure of hearing the 'oh I want to screw her right now' comments from all the guys and the 'she's so lucky' comments from the girls. I scowled at the masses and walked briskly to the lunch line. Gazes followed me the entire way. Doesn't anyone in this town have something better to do then watch me? I got a salad and a bottle of water before returning to the table.

After a few moments, I decided to look around. Everyone looked exactly the same. I mean, I've been to a lot of schools, but in my life I have never seen a school filled with people who looked so boring. I guess that's what happens when you're so isolated. I sighed and was about to give up my search for someone who was actually a little different when someone caught my eye. Five amazingly gorgeous, pale-skinned people. They were so similar yet completely different. And I don't mean different in the way they were the only remotely interesting people in this joint, but they looked completely different from one another as well despite their abnormally pale skin. I found myself staring at them. One was a boyish bronze-haired guy. One was a pixie-like girl with short black hair. One was a muscular guy with black curly hair. One was like a runway model with long blonde hair. And one was a blonde curly haired guy. It wasn't until the blonde guy lifted his eyes and locked with mine when the realization hit. I stood up quickly, a little too quickly. But for that second, I didn't care. I grabbed my tray of nearly uneaten food and dumped it in the closest trashcan. I looked at the table again. They were all staring in my direction. I stared back wondering if they knew exactly what I was. I didn't stick around to find out. Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I briskly walked out the door of the lunch room. This sucks!


	4. So Much Unknown

JPOV

The first three periods of the day were so boring. All anyone was talking about was this feisty, hot new girl who pushed Eric out in the parking lot just for asking her out. There was so much lust and jealousy floating around the school today that I was going crazy. Even the teachers were either felt either lust or envy towards this new girl. It was so obnoxious. Edward and I walked to lunch after English class complaining to each other about our days. He was in the same boat as me except he had to listen to the details of their fantasies to. I was silently grateful I could just feel the lust instead of hearing all the details. We walked into the lunchroom and it hit me like a tidal wave. All the lust and envy that is. Edward made a face of disgust as we joined our family at the table. Edward instantly wrapped himself around Alice and kissed her passionately.

"Please, please stop." I begged them. "I can't deal with anymore lust."

Emmett let out a loud booming laugh. "What's wrong, Jasper?"

"Every guy in this school is so freaking lustful for the new girl even the teachers!" I groaned.

"They all have sick minds! Dirty fantasies." Edward shook his head in disgust.

Emmett laughed even hard at our discomfort. "She can't be _that_ hot."

At that very minute, the door opened. Everyone looked over at the same time as if practiced numerous times. Then she appeared. The most beautiful person I have ever seen. All I could tell she was wearing was the long black coat that was buttoned with three big buttons and black knee-high high-heeled boots. Her long, wavy brown hair cascaded down her back. Her pale skin contrasted brilliantly with her chocolate brown eyes.

I felt my own lust rise in my body as I stared at her. She scowled at everyone who looked at her. Her eyes fixed into a glare as if it were stuck that way as she gracefully glided to an empty table and dropped her bag with a heavy thud.

"I could be wrong." Emmett mumbled. I heard Rose slammed him hard on the back of the head. "Ow, Rosie you know you are the hottest woman ever."

"Jazz." Alice called me. "Jasper!"

"Huh?" I snapped back to reality and looked at her.

"Oh my god, you think she's pretty!" She squealed.

"Yeah, he does." Edward grimaced causing me to glare at him. "You should hear what he's thinking about her."

I ignored him and flicked my eyes up to the new girl. She was staring in our direction. Then it was like shock slapped her in the face. She rose quickly and dumped her tray. Grabbing her bag, she briskly yet oh so gracefully walked out. What the hell was that?

"What was that?" Rose asked.

"I don't know." I said still staring in the direction she left.

"Edward, did you get anything from her head?"

"No. Nothing."

"What was she thinking about?"

"No, I mean, I couldn't hear anything at all." His eyes were wide with shock as his own words seemed to register in his mind. This had never happened before except with a few select vampires who had a shield. But she was human!

"That's impossible." I told him. "Maybe you weren't close enough."

"I can hear Mike's nasty thoughts, and he's on the other side of the cafeteria."

--

BPOV

I ran at human speed to my car. I needed a place to hide out until lunch was over so I could call Aunt Nicole and tell her about this development. In all my years, I had only ever come across three vampires who were passing through Boston on their way north. I had only directly come in contact with two, and one of those meeting didn't end so great. He ended up trying to bite me, and I had to tear him to shreds, which is hard when you also have to be concerned about not cutting yourself on anything in the process.

"Aunt Nicole." I said as I unlocked the door to my car.

"Bella? Is everything okay? Why aren't you in school?"

"I am in school. But there's a problem…"

"Oh god, I knew I shouldn't have let you go alone at such a fragile part of your life. I'm sorry, Bella. What happened? Did someone find out?"

"No, no, Aunt Nicole. It's not like that. Nothing's happened to me. I was in lunch, and I saw these five way too beautiful people. I mean inhumanly beautiful people." I stressed the word inhumanly.

"Vampires?" She gasped.

"Five of them." I sighed resting my head back on the headrest.

"Bella, you must get away from them. Come home, please."

"Their 'veggie' vampires, Aunt Nicole." 'Veggie vampire' was my cute name for what my biological father was. Since he didn't drink human blood, he was like a vegetarian.

"But you don't know what they'll do."

"My father didn't hurt my mother." I pointed out.

"That was one vampire, Bells. This is five that we know nothing about."

I sighed heavily as I heard the bell sound. "I have to go."

"But…"

"I'll be careful. I'll call you as soon as I'm out of school, okay?"

"I'm worried…"

"People like me are rare. There's a good chance they had no idea what I am." I said as I walked back towards the school. "I'll talk to you later." I said, hung up, and slipped my phone into the pocket of my bag. I walked into building C for biology. The teacher looked up, and his eyes widened. This was really getting old. After the whole discovery at lunch thing, I was in no mood for some disgusting old man to gawk at me. I walked up to the desk and handed him the slip.

"Hi, you must be Isabella Swan." He smiled creepily at me. I glared at him as he took my hand to shake it. When he didn't let go of my hand after introducing himself, I got mad.

"Do you mind giving me my hand back?" I snapped.

He looked embarrassed and signed my slip quickly pushing it and my book towards me mumbling for me to sit at the middle back table with someone named Jasper Hale. I gave him one last stern glare before moving to my seat. I hate people, especially old people who look at like you're a piece of meat. Ugh, it's so gross. _"How could I get back at this teacher for being a dirty, dirty old man?" _I silently mused, waiting for class to start.

--

JPOV

I couldn't stop thinking about the new girl as I walked into my next class, biology. I mechanically walked to my table not even noticing someone was sitting in the seat beside mine until I felt anger. I glanced up and froze when I saw her sitting in the once empty seat at my table looking too distracted to notice my presence. I inhaled through my nose expecting to smell her scent. There was the smell of something mouthwatering that I could place coming off of her, but I didn't feel my usual blood lust. What the hell was going on with this girl? I found myself staring at her as I sunk into my seat. She was even more beautiful up close. After a second, she seemed to snap back to reality as her head whirled around to look at me. I felt worry and lust wash over her. Odd combination.

"Hi, I'm Jasper Hale." I introduced myself before I really thought about it. She seemed to tense a little before relaxing again.

"Bella." She replied with a small smile. Her voice was musical and soft yet had a little edge in it. And there was the tiniest trace of a Boston accent laced within it. God, it was beautiful. Just like everything about her.

I was at a lost to what to say next. I want to keep her talking. I wanted to hear her voice. "How do you like Forks?" I blurted out. This wasn't like me. What is wrong with me? I never 'blurt' things out.

She shrugged and looked at me. She seemed hesitant as if she had a reason to be afraid of me or something. She did, but she didn't know it yet. Maybe it was instincts. But maybe not. There was a significant amount of worry in her emotions as if she knew she needed to worry over something. But what? And why would she be lustful if she knew what I was? This is so confusing!

"It's alright. I'm still trying to get used to it."

"Where are you from?"

"Boston."

I was about to ask her why she moved here but the teacher cut us off. She turned back as her eyes turned into a glare. I could feel the lust rolling off the teacher in wave. Disgusting old man. Maybe she had noticed it too. But she wasn't empathic like me. She couldn't be because she's human after all. She had blood pumping through her veins and a heartbeat. But her blood didn't appeal to me like other human's. Something was different about this girl. What? I don't know yet.


	5. Verbal Diarrhea

BPOV

I had been thinking of evil ways to get back at Mr. Disgusting-Pervert for nearly five minutes, so much so I felt disconnected from the world. That is not something you want to be when you have to be constantly aware of your actions to be sure you aren't moving too quickly to seem human. I stopped my train of thought and sighed. That's when I noticed someone was beside me. I glanced over and froze when I saw Jasper Hale, the way too gorgeous for his own good vampire from lunch. He was even hotter up close. Way, way too hot. I snapped out of it. He's a vampire! At any moment he could snap, or he could find out what I am. Neither of those things would be good. But I couldn't help but stare at his amazing gold eyes.

"Hi, I'm Jasper Hale." My heart melted. His voice was so smooth like honey with a hint of a southern accent mixed within. Just another thing to add to the list of things that made him so unbelievable desirable.

"Bella." I managed to get out. I felt the corners of my lips curl up into a small smile. Oh god, this is bad. Way, way bad! I shouldn't be talking to him. I shouldn't be looking at him. I shouldn't want to jump him right here and now! This was bad, so bad. Like it could end my life bad.

"How do you like Forks?" He asked.

Should I answer him? Or should I brush him off like all the other guys who've tried to talk to me today? But he wasn't just some other guy! He was god-like. He was amazing. He was Jasper Hale! And he's a vampire. Damn it. "It's alright. I'm still getting used to it." Why can't I stop talking to him?

"Where are you from?" He asked.

"Boston."

He looked like he was about to say something but Mr. Disgusting-Pervert cut him off. I sighed heavily. I shouldn't _want_ to talk to a vampire. I should be avoiding him like a plague. But I can't seem to help myself. After five minutes, I couldn't help but look over at him. He was leaning over his book watching me from the corner of his eye. As soon as our eyes met, his quickly flicked his eyes back down to his book. I smirked a little and went back to taking notes about cellular anatomy even though I already studied it in Boston, but I needed a distraction. Halfway through the class, the teacher told us that he had nothing else to teach today, and we could work on our homework or talk quietly. I was already almost done with my homework when he told us this, so it only took another couple of moments to finish it. I could feel Jasper's eyes burning a hole into me, so after I put my things in my bag, I couldn't help but look over at him. He smiled a crooked smile at me and angled himself to face me more.

"So, Bella, why'd you move to Forks?"

"Needed a change of scenery."

"So you fly across county from a big city to come to this secluded little town?" He looked slightly amused by it, but I wasn't about to tell him the complete honest truth.

"Things change." I shrugged.

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I am." I scoffed. "What about you? How did you get damned to this dreary old town?" As if I didn't know. An isolated town with constant cloud coverage. Perfect conditions for people of his species to live in, especially if they planned to set up permanent residence.

He laughed a musical laugh that made my heart melt. "My dad got a job."

"Hardly seem like a place to offer a job good enough you'd want to leave anywhere for."

"My dad hardly sees his job as a job. He'd work just about anywhere that needed him."

"That's noble, I guess." He nodded. "Is there anything to do here or is it all gossips and ignorant jackasses?" He laughed again, as I hoped he would. I couldn't get enough of the sound.

"Definitely the gossips and ignorant jackass." He laughed.

"Good, I thought I was the only one who noticed. I guess I'll have to find something to do around here."

"There's Port Angeles and Seattle. Alice and Rose, my sisters, go shopping there all the time, and Emmett, Edward, and I go to the arcades down there a lot." He told me.

"Maybe I'll check it out sometime. I got to get settled first around the house." I found myself focusing on him, not smart. He was so beautiful. But he was a _vampire!_ Ugh, it's ridiculous that I have to keep reminding myself of this. How is it possible for me to forget _everything _just by being near him?

"When did you move in?"

"Yesterday."

"Miss. Swan." Mr. Disgusting-Pervert called for me. I can't even remember his real name anymore. "May I see you for a second?"

I rolled my eyes and gave Jasper an exasperated look before standing and walking across the classroom to the teacher. "Yes?"

"What science class were you taking before you moved here?" Seriously, he called me away from a really great conversation with Jasper… the vampire, damn… to ask me that?

"It's on my transcript. But AP biology." I crossed my arms across my chest hoping it would deter him from looking at it any more. It worked. He looked at me looking embarrassed.

"Okay, very well."

I rolled my eyes. "Disgusting Pervert." I murmured to myself before turning and walking back to my desk. "Is he always so creepy?" I blurted out as I flopped back in my chair with a huff. To further show my displeasure, I crossed my legs, folded my arms across my chest, and glared in the direction of the teacher. He noticed my glare and looked down at his work.

Jasper's laughter relaxed me instantly. "I wouldn't know. I'm a guy so he hasn't hit on me. And nobody here has ever been hot enough for him to be so blunt about it." He blurted out then looked embarrassed when he realized what he said. I didn't feel my usual disgust that I felt when someone called me hot. Did I seriously blush? I haven't blushed in forever! I don't get embarrassed.

"Well, he's a creep, and it's really annoying." I said trying to recover.

"I can tell." He chuckled seemingly glad I didn't fuss at or comment on him for his remark.

"So how long do we have left in here?" I glanced at the clock.

"A couple minutes." He shrugged. "What do you have next?"

"Gym."

"Me too. I'll walk with you… I mean, if that's okay."

"Yeah, that'll be great." Wait, no it won't! He's a vampire! Damn him and his amazing good looks.

"Okay." He smirked at me before turning to pack up his book bag.

--

JPOV

Okay, it's official. I'm an idiot. And I'm sure Edward can hear all that I'm thinking. Perfect! She's just so beautiful. I can't help what I say around her. Things just fly out of my mouth like I'm not even thinking. This is bad, so bad! She's a _human_, for Christ's sake. I can't get involved with her. Beyond just the simple fact of my nature, there was the fact I was the least experienced with the animal blood diet. I had slipped up frequently in the past, but something about this girl made me not _want_ to drink her blood. Also, physically, I didn't feel an attraction towards her blood. What the hell did that even mean? No human's blood had never had so little effect or, in this case, no effect on me.

The bell rang distracting me from my thoughts. I stood up at the same time she did. She lifted her bag and threw it over her shoulder before turning to look at me. I pulled on my book bag.

"Let's go." I gestured for her to head through the door first. She walked out and glanced over her shoulder at me. "Have much homework tonight?"

"Not really. Won't take me more than an hour."

"What are you planning on doing after that?" Why the hell was I so curious about her plans? This girl is really messing me up.

"I don't know. I'll probably start working on the house." She answered as we walked into the gym. As expected everyone glanced up as her boots clicked against the wood floors. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Do they every stop staring?" She asked me obviously annoyed.

"No." I laughed.

"Great." She mumbled before heading toward Coach Clapp. "Bella Swan."

"Hello." He signed her slip and handed it back. "I'll get you a gym uniform, but you don't have to change today."

"Okay." She said before walking back over to me. "At least he didn't hit on me."

I laughed. "Yeah. I got to go get changed."

She nodded and walked towards the bleachers. I sighed watching her unbutton her jacket and slip it off. For the first time today, I saw what she wore underneath: a black miniskirt and a red top that hugged her curves perfectly. I felt my own lust raising as she sat down and crossed her legs looking bored to be there. I sighed and headed towards the locker room. This is bad.

--

BPOV

I couldn't stop watching Jasper the entire time I was sitting there. When the final bell rang, he jogged over to me cautious to keep human speed.

"Wait for me?" He asked. I nodded as he disappeared out of the gym towards the locker room. I stayed on the bleachers waiting for him. Why I agreed to wait for him? I don't know. He was just so damn intoxicating. I couldn't think clearly! He came back carrying his stuff after a few minutes now wearing the slightly baggy jeans and black t-shirt with his gray sweatshirt hanging open. I stood and slipped my jacket on as he walked over.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

"Yeah." He smiled at me and gestured for me to lead.

"So, what are you doing tonight?" I asked after a few moments.

"Nothing. Just hanging out at my house." I nodded as we started towards our cars. His eyes grew wide with shock as I stopped next to my car. "This is your car?"

"Doesn't blend in very well, does it?"

"I guess not." He laughed. He glanced over my shoulder. I turned to see another vampire with bronze hair, his brother I assume, staring at us. "I guess I better go."

"I better go too."

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Did he sound hopeful?

"Yeah." I smiled at him as he jogged off in the direction of his brother and a silver Volvo.

"Why are you hanging out with her?" I heard his brother hiss in a low voice not expecting any human to hear. Since I'm not a human, I could hear every word.

"Will you back off, Edward?" He growled.

"She's human, Jasper! And you of all of us should know we don't get involved with humans." I pretended it be looking through my bag for my key even though I knew it was in the pocket of it.

"It's not like that with her." Like what?

"She has blood pumping through her veins. It doesn't matter if you love her or you hate her. You are dangerous to her no matter what your feelings for her are."

"That's not what I mean."

"Just stay away from her, Jasper. It's for her own good. If you care about her, and I know you do, you'll stay away from her."

I grabbed my keys out and unlocked the car. I felt a lump growing in my throat and swallowed hard. Why did the idea of him staying away from me affect me so much? I just met him today. Sighing, I got into the car.


	6. Avoid Me

BPOV

The next morning, I woke up, showered, dried my hair, and put on make-up. I decided to wear a pair of dark skinny jeans, my favorite dark blue halter top, and my black heeled boots. I ran downstairs, grabbed an apple and my long black coat, and hurried to my car at human speed.

Ever since I woke up earlier that morning, I couldn't shake a sinking feeling in my stomach yet the excitement I felt every time I thought of Jasper. I sighed heavily as I pulled into the parking lot. How did I get myself into this mess? How could I be so careless to let my guard down, even for a minute, to a vampire of all people? Ever since my uncle's death, I have been able to keep harmless humans out of my life, but a vampire, one of the only things that could kill me, managed to find a hole in the walls I had built up and managed to squeeze through. I'm so screwed.

I climbed out of my car and grabbed my bag. Scanning the parking lot, I didn't see the silver Volvo even though class was going to start in five minutes. Every other car in the lot had been there the day before. Was he not there today? Just as I was about to walk into the building, I heard the distinct rumble of a motorcycle. I had one of my own by in Boston that hadn't yet been shipped over. I turned to see who it was since nobody had a motorcycle the day before. A felt a twinge of hope in the pit of my stomach. The engine cut as the driver put down the kickstand. As soon as I saw his blonde curly hair, I felt a smile pull at my lips. He saw me and raised a hand to wave at me smirking slightly. I smiled back and waved a little before turning and heading to class.

--

It took forever for lunch to finally roll around. I was one of the first out of history before Mike could invite me to sit with him. I dropped my stuff at the table and went to get my lunch before returning to the empty table I had sat at the day before. I had only been sitting there ten minutes when I felt someone standing over me. I glanced up from my salad that I was staring at. Jasper flashed a smile.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all." I smiled back at him. He took the seat directly across from me and set his small lunch down in front of him. "Where's your family?"

"Carlisle has a few days off and offered to take us camping, but I had a history test today. I might join them later, but I had to come today." He told me. I wondered if it was the truth or just a cover story.

"Sounds like fun."

"It is. Do you camp?"

"My uncle used to take me every once in awhile." I told him internally shuddering at the memories. He nodded.

"How'd unpacking go?"

"It was okay. I got my room done." I shrugged.

"Did you do it by yourself?" I nodded. "Your parents didn't help."

"Um, I live by myself."

"You do?" He seemed surprised by it. "I didn't think you were much older than seventeen."

"I'm not, but shit happens and you have to readjust." I shrugged.

"What happened… if you don't mind me asking?"

"Ah, no, it's fine. Um, my mother died when I was eleven. My father died when I was a few weeks old. I lived with my aunt and uncle ever since. My uncle died in Iraq a couple years ago. I eventually realized I was hurting my aunt by sticking around and decided it was time to get out of Boston. But Boston is the only place my aunt feels close to my uncle, so I forced her to stay. She and my uncle owned a house here in Forks a long time ago, so I moved in." I tried to sound indifferent throughout the whole story, but I don't think I hid the emotion very well especially since he's a vampire who could hear a pin drop.

"I'm so sorry." He said softly.

"Thanks." I sighed and looked around the room. People, who were not so inconspicuously watching us, dropped their eyes as soon as mine met theirs. "Does anyone in this school have a life?" I looked back at him. He looked surprised by the comment but smiled none the less.

"No. At least not that I've seen."

I smiled. "Good, I'm not the only one. I feel like a freaking science experiment or something."

"You're different from other people here."

"Gee, thanks. Being a freak makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside." I pretended to be offended knowing he meant it differently.

"In a good way." He chucked cocking his head to the side slightly. "You're too good for this town."

"Obviously you haven't been paying attention then."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm damaged goods." I said. "I've been expelled from three schools since my mother died and spent a couple of nights in juvenile hall, which is part of the reason I'm here. I told a teacher to 'fuck off' and flipped her desk over, because she said that she understood me and what I was going through. The jackasses running the school system thought it'd be best for the school and everyone else to expel me." I laughed humorlessly. "An isolated little town is probably exactly where I need to be because I'm sure the next option was going to be a mental institute. And there's no way in hell I'd be able to handle all that psychotherapy crap."

He stared at me too flabbergasted to speak. I knew I shouldn't be telling him all this, but whenever I was with him, I felt like I could tell him everything and anything. He had that affect on me. And I knew it was wrong, beyond wrong, because I knew the risks of getting close to a vampire. I had almost been murdered by one not long ago. And yet, I couldn't pull myself away from him. He was like a drug. You get a taste of it once, and you're hooked.

The bell rang before he could respond to anything I had just told him. I stood up, dumped my tray, and grabbed my bag. "You coming?" I asked.

He blinked a few times and looked at me. He nodded, stood up, threw away his untouched lunch, and followed me out. We walked in silence to class and sat down without a word. Maybe I scared him off? Wouldn't that be ironic? Me scaring away the vampire.

--

JPOV

"You're different from people here." I told her with a small smile. She really was. She was amazing, stunning, sexy, nice, compassionate… the list could go on. Every person in the school pales in comparison to her.

"Gee, thanks. Being a freak makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside." I grinned knowing she wasn't serious.

"In a good way." I chuckled. "You're too good for this town."

"Obviously you haven't been paying attention."

"What do you mean?" Was she blind or something? Anyone could see that she belonged in New York or LA or something. Not Forks, Washington.

"I'm damaged goods. I've been expelled from three schools since my mother died and spent a couple of nights in juvenile hall, which is part of the reason I'm here. I told a teacher to 'fuck off' and flipped her desk over, because she said that she understood me and what I was going through. The jackasses running the school system thought it'd be best for the school and everyone else to expel me." She laughed humorlessly. "An isolated little town is probably exactly where I need to be because I'm sure the next option was going to be a mental institute. And there's no way in hell I'd be able to handle all that psychotherapy crap."

I stared at her in shock. All I wanted to do was comfort her, but I couldn't even do that. She was already so fragile like one false move could push her over the edge. And me, a vampire, a natural predator of people just like her could be the one to do it. At any moment, I could kill her. I could harm her beyond repair. She was already struggling to keep her head above water. And I've been too damn selfish to even realize it. Edward was right. She was a very fragile human. I was a very unstable vampire. If I got close to her or too close for even a moment, it could be her last. How could I be so selfish and heartless for letting myself get this deep into a relationship that would just hurt her?

"You coming?" I didn't even realize she had stood. I snapped out of the trance and nodded. Standing up, I dumped my uneaten lunch and followed her out.

All through biology, I weighed my options. Why was it so hard to conceive the fact that I had to walk away? I met her yesterday! I watched her from the corner of my eye as she scribbled down notes in her notebook. She was so perfect despite her past. Beautiful, gentle, kind, yet fierce and sexy. God, I can't be having these thoughts. I had to do what's best for her despite what it would do to me.

The dismissal bell rang, and we headed to gym still not speaking to each other. She watched the ground as we walked side by side. I held the door open for her. She didn't even look at me as she walked into the locker room. Did she think I wasn't talking to her because of what she told me at lunch? I went into the boys' locker room and changed quickly. I walked back into the gym, but she wasn't there yet. I waited around trying to not look like I was obviously watching the girls' locker room like some kind of stalker.

When she emerged, she was wearing the black mesh basketball shorts that fell to a little further than mid-thigh and a tight gray t-shirt just like everyone else was wearing. But she looked so much better in it than any other girl in the entire gym. It was like no matter what she wore, she still looked amazing. I was about to walk over when Couch Clapp called for attention. He paired us up and told us to play two-on- two volleyball games. I was paired with Jessica, and Bella was paired with Mike. And we ended up on opposite ends of the gym. Great!

Gym ended. She was about to go into the locker room, but I grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Yes?" She asked, but I could tell she was hurt.

"Will you wait for me?"

She looked hesitant but nodded before walking into the locker room.

I changed as quickly as possible while still looking human. When I got back to the gym, she wasn't there. I started to panic that she had left. I waited five minutes as people walked out of both locker rooms to see if she was still in the locker room or if she had left. Just as I was about to give up, she walked out wearing her normal clothes. She didn't meet my eyes as she walked over to me.

"Ready to go?" I asked. She nodded and started towards the door with me in tow. By time we emerged from the school, half the people were gone already. I was still working out what I was going to say in my head when we reached her car. She unlocked it and was about to open the door when I stopped her. "Bella?" She looked at me. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

She pushed the door shut and turned towards me leaning her back against the car. "Yeah?"

"I…" I sighed trying to think of a way to tell her what I needed to tell her without telling her our secret. "It's for the best if we aren't friends." Her eyes shot up. I could feel the pain my words caused.

"God, I knew I shouldn't have told you. You're just like everyone else, huh?"

"No, Bella, it's not like that. It's better for you if we aren't friends. Bella, I'm not a good person to be friends with. I'm no good for you."

Realization, that I didn't understand, flickered through her eyes for a brief minute followed by a small amount of relief.

"Don't you think I should be the judge of what's best for me?"

"I'm dangerous, Bella. I'm not good for you. You have to avoid me. It's what's best for you."

She took a deep breath and let it out. "Don't do this to me, Jasper. I don't think I cannot be your friend. I've only known you for two days, and I've already told you more about myself than people I've known for two years."

"You don't understand…"

She closed her eyes as if trying to decide something. "And there's some things _you_ don't understand."

"Please, just avoid me. It's for the best."

"I can't do that, Jasper. If you want to avoid me, then fine. That's your decision. But I don't think I can just walk away. And I have no idea why. And it's stupid, because I've spent years keeping people away from me. So I have no idea why you're any different. But when I'm with you, I feel like I can be me. And like I said, it's stupid because I've only known you for two days. So spare me the lecture about what's good for me. If I could walk away, I would have walked away before this ever happened." Before I could even respond, she was in her car and pulling out of the parking space.

What if I couldn't avoid her? But I had to try. Edward was right. I was putting her at too much risk by hanging around. Even if it killed me, I would keep Bella safe.

--

BPOV

I unlocked my car and moved to open the door. I had to get out of this situation and now.

"Bella?" He stopped me. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

I turned, leaned against the car, and looked at him expectantly. I knew what he was going to say. That I was too damaged, too screwed up to be around. "Yeah?"

"I…" He sighed. "It's for the best if we aren't friends." Just as I expected. Why did it hurt so bad? He was just a boy… vampire boy. More reason for me to be running. But I don't want to. I can't.

"God, I knew I shouldn't have told you. You're just like everyone else, huh?" I know I sounded like an idiot. I could hear the hurt in my own voice. I must look pretty damn pathetic.

"No, Bella, it's not like that. It's better for you if we aren't friends. Bella, I'm not a good person to be friends with. I'm no good for you."

Oh, so this is about the whole vampire thing. _That_ I can handle. It would be a lot easier if I could just tell him, but while I highly doubt him hurting me, I don't know enough about his family to tell him. Maybe in a few weeks, I can tell them. But for now, I can't.

"Don't you think I should decide what's best for me?" I asked.

"I'm dangerous, Bella. I'm not good for you. You have to avoid me. It's what's best for you." It probably is what's best for me, but I don't think I can. How did I become so invested in this relationship overnight? I shut my eyes trying to stay calm. I can't tell him. Not yet. Not until I'm sure that his family isn't a threat.

"Don't do this to me, Jasper. I don't think I cannot be your friend. I've only known you for two days, and I've already told you more about myself than people I've known for two years."

"You don't understand…"

How can I convince him that I know what I'm getting myself into without telling him what I am and that I know what he is? Hmm, easier said than done. "And there's some things _you_ don't understand." Cryptic just like he was. Perfect.

"Please, just avoid me. It's for the best."

"I can't do that, Jasper. If you want to avoid me, then fine. That's your decision. But I don't think I can just walk away. And I have no idea why. And it's stupid, because I've spent years keeping people away from me. So I have no idea why you're any different. But when I'm with you, I feel like I can be me. And like I said, it's stupid because I've only known you for two days. So spare me the lecture about what's good for me. If I could walk away, I would have walked away before this ever happened."

I didn't think I could handle hearing his answer right now. I turned and got into my car a little quick to be considered a human action, but he seemed too wrapped up in thoughts to notice. I backed out of the spot and sped home.


	7. The Incident

BPOV

He wasn't at school the next day. I expected that, though, for two reasons. One, it was sunny. Two, he probably needed time to think. But when he got back, it began. The awkward feeling in the air, the lack of conversations, the pain written in both of our eyes… he was avoiding me. I understood that he had no idea how completely useless the whole ordeal was since I was just as indestructible as them and my blood had zero effect of them. He was trying to protect me. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less. I was mad at him, and oddly enough, he seemed to know that. I had lost the one thing in this crappy town that actually made me happy, because I wasn't quite sure I could trust his family of vampires with the fact I was half-human half-vampire. Simply because the one vampire who discovered this tried to kill me, because I was like a big puzzle to the vampire world, nearly nonexistent. And those who did exist hid themselves from vampires for the simple fact it was safer. Besides, we could pass off as a human much easier than a full vampire, so they might as well take advantage of it. And while nearly indestructible to anything and everything, I had no idea what venom would do to me. And they could pull me apart as easily as any other vampire. And I would die instantaneously from blood loss after one arm is off. There was no second chance for me. I didn't have to be burned to die. I couldn't spontaneously recreate myself. I would die as soon as they ripped off head.

Two weeks slowly and agonizingly passed. It actually hurt to see him on a day to day basis. How I managed to feel so strongly towards him after such a short time was still a mystery to me.

Walking into biology, I slipped off my jacket and hung it on the hook exposing my plaid miniskirt and black top. I walked into class and sat down next to Jasper moving my seat as far away from him as possible. He had his on the edge of his side of the table to seemingly giving me the space I desperately needed. I allowed myself my daily look at him. He didn't look too good. His eyes were darker than normal meaning he probably missed a hunt, which worried me. He looked in pain, too, but I couldn't decide exactly why. Crossing my legs, I turned my attention to the front of the room. Mr. Disgusting-Pervert was working at his desk. I sighed and began doodling on the side of my paper to keep distracted.

Eventually, the teacher began a lecture, and I took notes even though I could remember everything he said as soon as he said them. The dismissal bell ran, and I shot up from my chair. I heard Jasper's chair scrap back more slowly than necessary to keep up the human façade. I picked my bag and walked out grabbing my coat on the way. It wasn't far from the room that I heard his distinct light graceful steps following me towards gym respectfully keeping his distance. I got changed into my gym uniform and went back to the gym. He was already there staring off into space. Couch Clapp called out attention and told us we'd be playing volleyball. He grouped us off into fours and started our games before leaving to deal with a new problem.

Everything went downhill from there. Mike and Eric ran up the bleachers to stand on opposite ends of the highest steps with white balls in their hands. Everyone stopped to look curiously at them.

"One! Two! Three!" They chanted and kicked the ball in different directions. Mike, being to oh so delicate guy he was, lost his balance, tumbled backwards, and fell off the end of the bleachers. The whole gym went quiet as a distinct crack rang out loud enough for me to hear but too soft for human ears to pick up on. Then the smell of blood came at me like a tidal wave. My eyes shot to where Jasper. I was by his side in an instant since everyone's back was to us. My arms clasped like an iron cage around his body.

"Come on, Jasper. Let's go." He was growling like crazy thrashing around, but I wasn't about to let him go. I was just as strong as him, but he was putting up a good fight. "Stop fighting me, Jasper." I held him tighter pulling him towards the door. He didn't give up though. His fingers were clawing at my nearly unbreakable skin. "Come on!" I huffed and pulled him harder. We both stumble a little bit, but I didn't give him the chance to take advantage of it. His snarls were growing louder, but over all the commotion no human could hear him. "Let's go." I slowly managed to drag him to the door kicking it open without loosening my grip around him. Once outside, his thrashing didn't falter even a little bit. But now I didn't have the disgusting smell of blood bothering me, so I could focus my entire energy on him rather than not throwing up. "You can't do this! After all the shit that's been going on in the last two weeks, I'm not letting you do this to me." I grunted still pulling him towards the woods. "You can't do this to your family, Jazz. Think about them." I managed to get us to the edge of the woods before fatigue started to slowly creep in. I might be as strong as a vampire, but I was still part human and dragging a vicious, fighting vampire wasn't exactly easy. I didn't let my grip off him and continued to drag him along. When we were finally about a mile or two from the school where I could no longer smell the blood, amazingly only four minutes after the whole ordeal began, I pushed him to the ground and collapsed on top of him for two reasons. One, I had to make sure he stayed put. Two, I was exhausted. "Take a deep breath, Jasper." I said taking a few of my own. He was still rigid still stricken with bloodlust as I sat up placing myself on his stomach. I wasn't taking any chances.

Taking the sides of his face in my hands, I stared down at his face. "Breathe." He face was unchanged. His jaw still tight. His eyes dark with hunger. His nostrils flaring. Snarls still erupting from his mouth. His teeth flashing at me every few moments. "Damn it, Jasper, if you don't breathe, I'll kill you myself."

"Get off of him!" A loud roar came from behind us. I jumped nearly falling off him. He tried to take advantage of this and get up, but I pushed him back to the ground with a loud thud.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Jasper's family: Edward, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie glaring at me bearing their teeth. I decided not to show my fear even though I was up against five of the only two things that could end me: vampires, one of which was very thirsty for blood.

I rolled my eyes at them. "Shut up." I flicked my eyes back to Jasper, who was slowly starting to calm down, but I didn't move from where I sat on top of him.

"I said get off of him!" Edward yelled.

"You seriously want me to get off of him. Because it'll end badly for you, not me." I didn't mention the fact that yes; it could end badly for me.

"What are you?" Alice said obviously forcing herself to stay calm.

"Bella?" Jasper's voice came. It was calmer now, not as threatening.

"Are you calm enough for me to get off you now?" I asked him. He nodded. I stood up off of him and extended my hand. He looked at it then back to my face.

"Bella, what's going on?"

I sighed and walked over to a tree. I was still mildly aware of the fact I was up against four angry vampires, and one confused one. "Tell me what you remember, and I'll fill in the holes." I told him.


	8. Realizations

JPOV

The last two weeks have been unbearable, completely intolerable. I miss her so much even though I see her every day. It's for the best that I distance myself. She's a fragile human, and I'm a vicious vampire. Yet, it hurts to not be able to talk to her or see her smile or hear her laugh. It was completely irresponsible and selfish to get so attached to her, even if it did happen all within a matter of forty-eight hours. I could feel her anger towards me whenever we were in the same room. It hardly compared to my own guilt and pain that swelled within me. I had to remind myself over and over that it was for her own good. But it didn't seem it make it any easier to bear.

I could smell her intoxicating scent as soon as she walked in. I watched her take off her jacket revealing her incredibly sexy outfit that only made me lust for her more. But as soon as she walked over, I forced myself to drop my eyes to my open biology book. I could feel her look at me, and worry radiated off of her. I knew I didn't look good. My pain was probably written all over my face, not to mention the fact my bloodlust was going crazy because I missed my last hunt. I didn't want her to have to worry about me, but I didn't say anything. She looked away, and I glanced over at her. She looked stunning as always. Perfect in every physical way.

The class was over after a long lecture about genetics. When the bell rang, she stood up quickly, as always. I stood up slower than I ever do and began gathering my things. By the time I got my biology book back in my bag, she was already on the way out the door. I followed slowly to the gym then continued to the locker room. I was dressed and back in the room before her. I probably wouldn't have noticed much of anything beyond my thoughts if it wasn't for that amazing smell hitting me at full force. I sighed as Coach Clapp called for our attention and set up playing four on four volleyball games. My court was right beside Bella's, and I found myself watching her every now and then. Coach Clapp walked out after a few moments to deal with other business. I hardly noticed Mike and Eric running across the gym to the bleachers. I didn't turn to look at them until they cheered in unison, "One! Two! Three!" Everyone turned to look confused by the loud chants.

Two white balls flew in the complete opposite directions that they intended them to go. Mike fell off balance, stumbled back, and fell off the bleachers. The smell of blood hit me, and everything around me seemed to fade away into the background. All I could feel with the burning in my throat and my need for his blood. I growled and fought forward for it, but I couldn't move. I thrashed around trying to fight the pale arms that were locked around my waist. I felt myself being pulled backwards despite my effort to claw the arms away from around me. I couldn't even hear what whichever of my family members it was, was saying. I didn't care. I needed blood! I fought and struggled the whole way. I felt myself and the person pulling me stumble a little bit as we neared the door. But that didn't even loosen their grip from around me. They just pulled me harder. The fresh air of outside didn't soothe me in the least. My throat burned as if I deliberately swallowed a lit match. The person didn't let me go the entire time as they pulled me deeper and deeper into the woods. The air was beginning to clear, but my throat still burned. After a few miles, I felt myself being pushed onto the ground and a weight on my stomach. I thrashed. The weight couldn't be more than a hundred pounds, but I couldn't break free of it.

I heard someone tell me to breath, but it wasn't the voice I anticipated. This wasn't the voice of Alice or Rosalie or either of my brothers. I refused to listen and continued to fight.

"Breathe!" I looked at the person who stared down at me. I must be hallucinating because Bella was staring down at me. Bella, a human, would have no chance against me especially in my current state of thirst. I didn't relax or breathe as Bella, or whoever I was imagine as Bella, told me to do.

"Get off of him!" I heard Edward roar. I felt the person jump and nearly fall off me. I took advantage of it and tried to get up, but two strong hands pushed me back.

"Shut up." Bella or 'Bella' told him.

"I said get off him!" Edward yelled again trying to sound more authoritative.

"You seriously want me to get off of him. Because it'll end badly for you, not me." Now that I was calming down, I could feel a slight amount of fear mixed in with annoyance, confidence, anxiety, and smugness. Odd combination. I took a deep breath of the clear air and looked around without moving.

"Bella?" I said when my eyes settled on her.

"Are you calm enough for me to get off you now?" She asked me. I nodded still confused by the entire ordeal. She stood up and held out her hand to me. I looked at it then back at her.

"Bella? What's going on?" I asked warily. She withdrew her hand and walked over towards a tree playing with her hands. I could feel nervousness rush off of her, but I was too confused to calm her.

"Tell me what you remember, and I'll fill in the holes." She said to me before flicking her eyes over towards my family, who were still defensively crouching. "Will you please stand up? You look like idiots, and it's making it really hard to concentrate." She rolled her eyes yet I could feel a twinge of fear in her words. She didn't show it as she gracefully sat down in the grace about ten feet from me and my family. They looked at me. I nodded despite my confusion. They lifted back into the standing positions at the same time, but their eyes stayed defensive and worried.

"So what do you remember?" She asked.

"Ah, Newton was kicking the ball and fell." I told her.

"And you wanted his blood." She told me as if it wasn't as terrible as it sounded.

"So you know?" I said uncertainly. She nodded slowly. "For how long?"

"Since I saw you all in lunch my first day here." She said calmly as if the idea of what we are wasn't repulsive.

"And yet you befriended me?"

"I told you I knew what was best for me. And I also told you that if I could have not gotten this involved I wouldn't have."

"How can you act that?" I snapped. She looked startled.

"Act like what?" She said feeling slightly offended.

"Act like what we are is okay. Like you're okay with the fact we're monsters."

"Didn't you find it odd that I could pull you out of the gym despite the fact that you are a vampire, who at the time was fighting for human blood?" She asked me raising an eyebrow.

"You aren't a vampire though. You're heart beats. You have blood pumping through your body." Edward said dumbfounded as realization hit.

"No, I'm not a vampire. My heart does beat, but half as fast as a human. Blood does pump through my veins, but it does not attract you. My skin is warmer than yours, but it's also ten degrees lower than any human's body temperature can get without the heart stopping. Just because I'm not what you are doesn't mean I'm a human either." She stated as if it were just a fact out of a textbook. She rose to her feet slowly.

"Then what are you?" Rose asked.

"It's been fifteen minutes. Someone is bound to notice our absence by now. I'll tell the Coach that you get sick at the sight of blood, and you had to run out. I'll ask someone to get your clothes too, and I'll bring them to your car." She said.

"Wait!" I said before she could leave.

"Yeah?" She turned back towards us.

"Thank you."

She smiled at me. "You're welcome." Then she took off as fast as the rest of us could.

"Oh my god." Alice breathed out. "What just happened?"

"I honestly have no idea."

--

BPOV

I could feel my heart racing with nerves as I walked back into the gym. I just told them I wasn't human. Oh god. This could end so badly. Maybe I should go back to Boston.

"Miss. Swan? Mind telling me where you and Mr. Hale went?" Coach Clapp asked. I sighed.

"Jasper gets sick at the sign of blood. I helped him outside, so he wouldn't get sick. He's sitting out in his car to be safe."

"Oh, is he alright?"

"He's fine. How's Mike?"

"In the hospital. But he'll be okay."

I nodded "Could you please get Jasper's stuff out of the boys' locker room while I go change?"

"Of course."

I jogged off at human speed into the empty locker room. I change at "vampire" speed since I was alone and walked out casually. Coach Clapp was waiting for me holding Jasper's bag and clothes.

"Thank you." I took the things and walked out. I scanned the quickly emptying lot. The Cullens were leaning against the silver Volvo still looking perplexed. "Hi." I said awkwardly when I walked over.

Jasper glanced up and smiled at me. His eyes sparkled.

"Hey." He greeted me.

"Well, here are your clothes and books."

"Thank you." He took them but didn't move to put them into the car.

"You're welcome." I smiled. "I better get home."

"Would you come over to our house to finish the conversation from earlier?" He asked.

"I wasn't aware that it wasn't already finished." I said even though I knew they were curious, but I wasn't sure how much information I should give out.

"You mean you aren't going to tell us what's going on?" Rosalie asked astounded. "Even though you know what we are?"

"Even the best of us have secrets." I smiled at them.

"Seriously?" Emmett said a little shocked.

I sighed heavily and looked around the area. "One time back in Boston, a nomad came through the area. It was the third one to come through in the past four or five years, so I didn't see much of a threat in it. Besides, I can defend myself against one little vampire." I said too low for human ears to hear, but they could hear my crystal clear. "Next thing I know, I'm pinned up against a brick wall in a dark alley and he's threatening to kill me and calling me a freak. Just as he's about to bite me, I am able to get my arm free long enough to push him away. He jumps up gets defensive, you know, instinctive acts that I expected. He didn't expect me to have the strength to get him on the ground. There's only so much you can do with a vampire, I was able to tear him apart before he did me any real harm. One vampire is one thing. Five… or more if there are more of you I don't know about… I wouldn't be lucky enough."

"Bella, we won't hurt you." Jasper said sincerity pouring out of him.

"Part of me knows that. And I really wish none of this had happen. Because two weeks ago, all of you could have gone on happily thinking I'm human. Now, not so much."

"Bella." Jasper stepped forward. "We aren't going to hurt you."

I stared at him for quite a long time. "I'll come, but I'm not promising anything." I said very quietly before turning and walking to my car.

"You need directions?" He called after me.

"I'll find it." I smiled and got into my car.


	9. Unproductive Conversations

Just as I promised, I found the house with no problem as I could smell their trail the entire way as I sped down winding roads that led deep into the woods. I pulled up in front of the house and turned the car off. Jasper appeared in less than a second with a smile on his face. He was at my car door before I could even open the door.

"Hey." He smiled.

"Hey." I returned the smile and got out. We walked up the stairs to the porch at human speed. He opened the door and led me in. He led me to a huge spacious living room. Edward, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, and two vampires I didn't recognize sat there. Edward and Alice looked stressed and upset over something, but I decided now wasn't the time to ask.

"Bella, you know Edward, Alice, Rose, and Emmett. This is Esme and Carlisle, our parents. Esme, Carlisle, this is Bella."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Bella." Esme smiled a motherly smile.

"You too."

"Thank you for coming, Bella." Carlisle smiled.

"No problem." Jasper gestured for me to sit then sat down next to me. I crossed my legs and looked around. "You have a beautiful home, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen."

"Thank you." Esme said.

"When did you move here?" Carlisle asked me.

"Two weeks ago."

"With your parents?"

"No, by myself."

"Why are you here alone?" Esme asked with motherly concern.

"I can take care of myself."

"Where are your parents?" She still had a concerned look in her eyes.

"My mother died when I was eleven. My father died when I was a few months old. I never really knew him. I moved in with my aunt and uncle." I answered.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, dear." Esme said in a comforting tone.

"Thank you."

"Why didn't you stay with them?" Emmett asked.

"My uncle went off to Iraq a few years ago and was killed in war. I got in a lot of trouble. Jail here and there. Suspended from school often. Expelled three times. After I got expelled from my last school, I realized how much I was hurting my aunt and decided to move. The only place she still feels connected to my uncle is in Boston, so I didn't have the heart to ask her to come." I might as well tell them that much. I already told Jasper, so I might as well be honest about this. Jasper squeezed my hand comfortingly. I smiled at him, which he returned.

"Would you like to talk about… what you are?" Carlisle asked.

I sighed and stood walking around the living room looking at the things on the shelf above the fireplace. "I don't know. I'm sorry. You all seem very nice, but nature beats nurture every time." I looked around at their faces. "People like you don't understand people like me. I'm a… mystery to… everyone really." I chuckled humorlessly before looking around again. "Please understand that things are going to be changing soon, and I don't even know how. I could become dangerous to you all."

"We're indestructible." Emmett pointed out.

"They say that about me too." I muttered and sighed heavily. "I don't know what to do." I mumbled more to myself than to them.

"You're indestructible?" Jasper asked.

"To an extent. A few things could kill me. I'm less indestructible than you all, but more so than a human." I sighed. I had to tell them eventually if I planned to stay here. I knew I did. They had permanent residence meaning they had a right to know what other 'mythical' creatures were living nearby. "Maybe I should leave. You seem really nice, and me being here could put you in danger. I could go back to Boston or somewhere…" By the end, I was talking to myself.

"No, Bella." Jasper said a little too quickly. He seemed embarrassed by his outburst which made me smile. "You don't have to leave because of us. We'll be fine."

Carlisle nodded. "Yes there is no need to worry about us."

"You don't understand." I said stubbornly. "I'm already putting probably millions of people at risk just by existing."

"We all are, Bella." Edward pointed out.

"No, you're not. You don't drink human blood. I know because of the eyes. You can control yourself in most situations and you're responsible in taking every precaution."

"We could still slip up." Jasper told me looking tortured by something. "Like today. If you hadn't been there, Newton and twenty other people would be dead."

"But it didn't happen, so don't beat yourself up over it." I just wanted to hug him. He looked so ashamed of his weakness.

"How are you so dangerous?" Rosalie asked me.

"There's a lot of unknown for me. Because there are so few people like me, none of which I or my mother or my aunt has been able to find, I can't exactly be sure of what's to come." I finally sat back down beside Jasper. "And that is why I don't know what I can tell you." The all opened their mouth to object, but I didn't give them the chance. "I never meant to put you in any danger by coming here."

"How did you put us in danger, Bella?" Alice asked. "I'm still confused."

I struggled to find the right words to explain. There were many things that could go wrong by my being here, and I struggled to find the easiest one to explain. "Many reasons. Like… I'm sure you all know of the Volturi." They all nodded with confusion broke out on their face. "Well, they catch wind of me, such a unique mythical creature, and hear that you've known of me, there will be no mercy, I'm sure." I continued before they could question me. "Besides, like I said, things will be changing soon, and I don't want to risk you guys being too close if things go bad in anyway."

"Why would…?" Edward began to asked, but my cell phone cut them off. They looked slightly startled which made me giggle. Seven vampires being startled by a cell phone. I found that amusing. I looked at the ID and sighed.

"I have to take this. I'll be back in a few minutes." I walked out the front door and took off running into the forest. In seconds, I was out of their earshot. "Hey, Aunt Nicole."

"Hey, Bells. So?"

"So what?"

"The vampires. Duh! Keep up, Bella." She laughed, and I couldn't help but join in.

"Oh, that… I was actually just with them and their parents." I said quickly.

"Bella." Her voice was reproachful. "They are dangerous."

"They don't seem dangerous. They are veggie vamps, and they haven't posed any threat. But they do know I'm not human." I mumbled the last part almost hoping she didn't hear.

"WHAT!" She yelled.

"Don't yell, Aunt Nicole." I said trying to calm her. "It was completely unavoidable."

"Uh-huh. And how is that?"

"You remember Jasper?"

"The one you like." Her voice was full of implication. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, well, in gym today, Mike Newton fell off the bleachers and cracked his skull open. Blood everywhere. Jasper was in there, and his instincts started to kick in. So I grabbed him and literally dragged him from the school. His family ran up somehow knowing that we were there and starts getting defensive. But in their defense, I was pinning their brother to the ground threatening to kill him because he was refusing to breathe. But anyway, they figured I wasn't human since no human could drag a blood thirsty vampire away from blood. Right now, I'm at their house debating on whether to tell them."

"It's for the best if you don't, Bella. They're vampires, and you need to have a little self-preservation."

"It's not even that. Well, a little bit that. But the bigger problem is I don't want _them_ to get hurt."

"You realize they are indestructible, right?"

"Yes, but things are changing and if someone were to find out… They could get in a lot of trouble or be killed. I can't deal with that."

"Bells, seriously, no other teenager is this selfless!"

I laughed. "I know, I know. I need to have at least some sense of self-preservation. Blah, blah, blah." I mocked. She laughed.

"Well you do. Not many people willingly walk into a house of seven vampires."

"Don't worry about me, Aunt Nicole. I'm going to be fine. I just have to figure out if I should tell them."

"I don't know, Bells. Maybe you should, then you'll have some people out there who can help you."

"I don't know. I'll think about it." I sighed. "I better get back."

"Alright. I love you, Bells. Whatever you decide, I'll support you. And there's always a place for you here."

"I know, Aunt Nicole. But I don't think they'll hurt me. I love you too. And I'll try to call you later."

"Talk you later, Kiddo." She said before I hung up.

I was back at the house in a minute. I knocked on the door even though it seemed unnecessary. Jasper opened the door smiling at me. I smiled back as he led me back into the living room where nobody had moved.

"Took you long enough." Emmett complained.

"I said a few minutes. Impatient vampires." I rolled my eyes as they laughed. Silence fell over us for a few moments.

"What would you like to talk about now?" Carlisle asked.

"I don't know." I sighed.

"Is there any way we can make you more comfortable with us?" Esme asked. "You seem like you need someone here for you since you're on your own."

I smiled at her natural mothering side. "You guys are great. And I'll be fine, really. Don't worry about me."

"Can I ask you a question?" Carlisle asked. I nodded. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen." I answered.

"Is that your actual age? Or are you like immortal and been stuck at seventeen forever?" Emmett asked.

"It is my actual age, but, yes, I'm immortal."

"You're very smart for your age. You seem so sure of yourself, too." Carlisle said.

"Seventeen years is a long time." I told him. "Well, not for you."

"How long have you been what you are?" Rosalie asked.

"Seventeen years." I answered.

"So you were born this way?" Jasper asked.

"Genetics suck, don't they?" They looked confused by the remark, but I didn't comment.

"You aren't happy with what you are?" Alice asked.

"I haven't decided yet. But I've known nothing else, so there's really nothing to compare it to."

"I don't want to pressure you, Bella, but you've made me rather curious." Carlisle asked looking a little ashamed by the confession.

"I make everyone curious." I smiled reassuringly at him.

"You're immortal." I nodded. "You run at great speeds and are as strong as us." I nodded again. "You were born this way. You heart is slower than other humans'. Your blood doesn't attract us. You're skin is colder than most humans' but warmer than ours." I nodded through his list knowing he was trying to come up with an answer that I honestly didn't think he'd be able to find. "Edward can't hear your thoughts, and Alice can't see you future." I raised an eyebrow. Sure, I had heard of this before from the second vampire passed through Boston. I had passed him in the street, and he grabbed my arm staring at me intently. I knew what he was but didn't show it on my face. He led me silently towards a deserted area, and I had been too shocked to stop him. I asked him what he wanted. He wanted to know who I was. I told him I knew what he was, and then he told me that he couldn't hear me. I was of course confused by the statement since we had been talking in low hushed voices the entire time and he had heard me fine. Then he told me of his ability to read minds… except for mine.

I figure it was something to do with my body protecting me, kind of like evolution. When a species is constantly killed by a certain prey, over time it evolves itself to help protect itself. I figured since my mother was human and my father was vampire, I acquired traits to make me less appealing and vulnerable to vampires. My scentless blood, for example.

"Do you know why that is?" Edward asked me pulling me from my thoughts.

"I have some theories." I told him.

"But I can feel your emotions." Jasper said.

"You feel emotions?" I asked surprised. I hadn't expected it. Though it did explain how he could tell I was mad when I was so careful not to show him.

"Yes and manipulate them too." He told me. I smiled at him letting the information soak in. My eyes caught sight of the grandfather clock sitting in the corner of the room. It was just after four. I had been there for over an hour and a half. I was

"I should go. I have hardly eaten all day."

"Oh, Bella, please stay for dinner." Esme asked. I laughed lightly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen. But I don't think we eat the same things."

"What do you eat?" Emmett asked me. "I like a good grizzly myself."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I eat regular food… human food."

"Oh, we have that here!" Alice cheered.

"Even though it's vile and disgusting." Rosalie grumbled.

I laughed out loud at it. "It's not that bad. Maybe not a grizzly bear, but it's okay." They laughed. "But, seriously, I really don't want to impose on your evenings any longer."

"We've enjoyed your company, Bella. You're no problem at all." Esme assured me.

"Come, Bella, please stay." Jasper said.

I looked at him and knew they had won. His face was so adorable with his bottom lip poking out a little. His gold eyes were big and round with hope. I giggled. "Fine. I don't see why you all want me around anyways after I constantly told you how dangerous it is."

"Two weeks ago, I told you the same thing, yet you still hung around." Jasper told me in a voice full of pretend implication.

"But I knew you weren't going to hurt me." I rolled my eyes at him. "I might not hundreds of years old, but I know what I'm talking about." He smiled at me shaking his head lightly.

"I'll make you some dinner, Bella. What would you like?" Esme asked.

"Anything is fine, Mrs. Cullen."

"Please, Bella, call me Esme."

"Anything is fine, Esme." She and Carlisle left the room.

I sat in the living room with everyone else. We talked briefly about school. They were clearly avoiding the subject of what I was. Esme called us to dinner after about ten minutes. They all came into the dining room even though they wouldn't be eating. I sat down in front of the plate of spaghetti and quickly ate. When I was finished, Esme took my plate even though I offered to wash it.

"Come on, Bella!" Alice said jumping out of her chair. She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my seat. "We're going to give you a tour. I have a feeling you'll be spending a lot more time around here nowadays."

"How could you know that, Alice, you can't see my future remember?"

"I know, but I can see ours." She smiled mischievously at me before throwing a glance over my shoulder at Jasper. I looked at her confused, but she shrugged and skipped away. "Come on guys!"

Edward sighed throwing me an apologetic look for his girlfriend before racing after her. Emmett let out a booming laugh. Jasper, Rosalie, and I looked at him curiously.

"It's been a hell of a day." He laughed loudly wrapping his arm around Rosalie's waist.

"Yes, it has been." I sighed, feeling a bit exhausted just by thinking of the events.

"Welcome to the family, Bella!" Emmett continued to laugh at my caught-off-guard expression. He didn't stop laughing even as he led Rosalie out of the room.

"Okay then…" I sighed and looked at Jasper, who was now standing by my side. "I guess we should go."

He nodded. We walked silently at human pace towards the staircase. "Don't you trust us?"

I looked over at him and raised an eyebrow at his random question. "I think I do." I said hesitantly.

"Bella, we won't hurt you."

"I know."

"And we aren't going to treat you any different if we know."

"I know."

"Then what's the problem?"

I stopped forcing him to stop too. "It's just not that simple. I can't expect you to understand, but I hope you can understand that I just need a little time. I'll think about it tonight, okay?"

He sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to pressure you, but…" His voice drifted off.

"But?"


	10. Confessions

JPOV

"Don't you trust us?" I asked her. She seemed so hesitant, yet her feelings said otherwise. The entire time we were speaking she felt guilt, confusion, and indecision. But no fear.

"I think I do." She said after a second.

"Bella, we won't hurt you." I don't think I could live with myself if anyone hurt Bella, and I hadn't been there to stop them.

"I know."

"And we won't treat you any differently if we know."

"I know." She answered again.

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's just not that simple. I can't expect you to understand, but I hope you can understand that I just need a little time. I'll think about it tonight, okay?"

I felt so guilty for trying to push her into something too soon. I just met her two weeks ago, yet I felt the need to know more about her. I was just so… intoxicated by her. I just wanted to be near her, and I couldn't do that if she kept pulling away from us.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to pressure you, but…" I let my voice trail off when my common sense started to kick back in. I couldn't just tell her that I wanted to be with her all the time. I couldn't tell her how I felt. Not yet, at least.

"But?" She prompted. I could feel confusion and a little hope rolling off her.

"But…" I searched for words to make the awkwardness go away. I found none. _"Save me, Edward!" _I thought. He didn't come though. _"Damn you!" _

"Just tell her, Jasper!" Alice's voice came from upstairs. If I could blush, my face would be in flames. Bella tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow looking completely amused by my obvious discomfort.

"Will you go for a walk with me?" She nodded. I grabbed her warmer, smaller hand into mine and took off running.

"I thought you said a walk?" She laughed as we ran through the woods. She kept up with me. Her breathing and heart rate were steady the entire time. Her strides hardly faltered until I abruptly stopped in the middle of a clearing, my clearing. It was right in the middle of the woods that stretched for about fifteen miles behind out house. It was really a breathtaking place. The grass was greener than the surrounding area since sunlight actually reached the ground instead of behind stopped by the trees' canopies. A clear stream lined ran right down the middle. Blue and purple wildflowers poked through the grass all over the place.

Judging by the content, serene feeling I was getting from Bella, I think she liked it too. She looked around for a few moments before meeting my eyes again. A small smile played her lips. "What's wrong, Jasper?"

I found myself smiling back. "Nothing." It was the complete honest truth. I didn't feel anxious or worried or anything but her tranquility.

"Then why'd we run out of the house?"

"I don't like my family listening in on conversations. They can't hear us here." Ha! Teaches them to interfere. Edward can't even hear my thoughts out here.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asked. I didn't drop her hand in fear I wouldn't find an excuse to pick it up again. I led her over to a big bolder that had been sitting on the clearing's edge for longer than I've been coming here. I sat down and leaned back against the rock. She followed in suit without removing her questioning eyes from me.

"I don't know." Maybe she forgot about the earlier discussion.

"Well we can pick up where we left off. But what?" She smiled triumphantly when I shifted around uncomfortably. My eyes moved to her amazing chocolate ones. I felt myself getting lost in them.

"I don't want to lose you." I blurted out before I could really stop myself or make a coherent thought. I felt shock radiating off of her. "And like you said, I don't know how I got so invested in this so quickly. I've only known you for two weeks, and here I am afraid as hell that I won't see you tomorrow. The last two weeks of having to avoid you were bad enough, and I could still see you every day. The thought of you leaving or pushing me away is unfathomably hard to comprehend…"

Her finger rested on top of my lips to stop me from talking. I looked at her with wary eyes afraid I had said something I shouldn't have. I could feel her emotions radiating off of her: sadness, regret, fear, and I think admiration. Oh shit, what have I done? She doesn't want to be around me. This is bad.

"Jasper." She said so quietly that had I not been a vampire I wouldn't have heard it. "You shouldn't want to be around me."

"But I do." Her finger still lingered over my lips for a second. She moved it from my lips to run the back of her hand across my cheek. I nearly shivered at the trail of warmth she left behind. She opened her hand a little and cupped my cheek into the palm of her hand running her thumb along my cheekbone. I found myself leaning into it slightly.

"You shouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Haven't you been listening? I don't even know what I'll be capable of in less than a year. I don't want to hurt you." She whispered. "I could be a monster, Jazz, and you don't deserve to be with someone like that."

"You can't be any worse than me. I'm a vampire, Bella. What could be worse?" She sucked in a deep breath and leaned her head resting her forehead against mine. Our lips only centimeters apart. I desperately wanted to close the gap.

She shut her eyes, and I felt hesitance come over her. When she finally opened her eyes, I searched them for some sort of answer to why. "I don't want to lose you either." She said after a few moments. Relief washed over me. Her hand stayed against my cheek. I could feel a trail of warmth left behind every time her thumb stroke my cheek. "But promise me something?" I nodded slightly. "Don't be so trusting around me, okay? And leave me if it gets dangerous."

"Bella…"

"Please, Jazz, just promise me."

"Okay. I promise."

"Thank you." She shut her eyes again without removing her forehead from mine. Our fingers were still intertwined sitting on my leg. I could get used to this.

--

BPOV

I kept my eyes close leaning against him for a few moments savoring the moment before sighing. "We should get back?"

He sighed as well. "Yeah, I guess."

I stared at him for one more second before standing up. He stood up at the same time as me without dropping my hand. I really did love holding his hand. We walked at human speed for awhile before picking up speed. Once we got to the front of the house, I stopped and looked at him. "I better go. Some of us have to sleep." He smiled at the comment and leaned forward placing a kiss on my forehead. I felt my heart flutter, and a smile appear on my face.

"See you tomorrow, then." He smiled that amazing crooked smile. I found it hard to look away .

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow." I glanced up at the house just in time to see the curtain move a little and giggled shaking my head. "Bye guys!" Suddenly, four smiling, beautiful people appeared in the windows of one of the second floor rooms. They waved and were grinning like crazy. I laughed. "No privacy, huh?"

"Not in this house. Especially with a mind reader and a fortune teller." He chuckled.

"See you later, Jazz." I laughed before turning and heading to my car.


	11. Admittance Is The First Step

I slept with peaceful dreams of Jasper all night. When I woke up, I showered and checked the weather. It was still pretty warm out but overcast, which made me happy since that meant I'd get to see Jasper today. So I put on a short denim skirt and a dark purple top. I put on a pair of black flip-flops, grabbed a light black sweatshirt just in case, and headed downstairs. I ate a quick bowl of cereal and grabbed my car keys to the Corvette. I got to school quickly as usual and could feel my anxiousness to see Jasper again. Unfortunately, when I pulled into the lot, I didn't see him anywhere. Sighing, I gathered my things and got out of the car. Just as I was about to head towards the school, I noticed the Volvo pulling into the parking lot. I couldn't help but smile and wave a little in the direction of the car. I shook my head when I saw Alice bouncing up and down as she waved. I waved back I headed towards the school not knowing whether we were going to make our friendship, or whatever this was, general knowledge at school that is until I heard Alice's loud squeal saying, "Bella!"

I turned around to look at the family of vampires glaring at them. Couldn't they be discreet? I could have whispered my name, and I would have heard them, I mean seriously! Sighing, I walked back over to them. "You realize I could have heard you if you whispered at me."

"What's the big deal? Embarrassed by us?" Emmett laughed.

"Oh yes, of all things I could be of you, I'm embarrassed." I rolled my eyes as they laughed.

"How was your night?" Jasper asked.

I felt my cheeks blush a little bit when he asked that and the memories of my dreams rushed through my head. "The usual: homework and slept. You guys?"

"Didn't do anything at all." Emmett said. "Somebody was holding out." He looked at Rosalie pouting a little.

"That's what you get when you answer yes to the 'do these pants make my butt look big' question." I couldn't help but laugh as everyone else did, except Emmett who still pouted.

"I meant in a good way, Babe. In a sexy way, a very sexy." He said quickly.

"Um-hum." Rosalie sighed, but it was obvious that she wasn't mad over it.

"Well, before this conversation gets anymore awkward, I'm going to go to class. See you guys later!" I hurried away before any of them could protest.

"She really is embarrassed by us." Emmett said. I looked over my shoulder grinning. I couldn't help but burst into laughter at his offended face.

--

The first three classes were pretty painless. When the bell to dismiss us form the third class of the day rang, I gathered my things in my bag and headed out. I noticed Jasper leaning against the wall and walked over.

"Hey. What are you doing here? You're last class was on the other side of the school."

He looked up at me and gave me my favorite little smile. "True. But your class is right here." He gestured the building.

"While a kind gesture, I think I can walk myself to the cafeteria."

"But then Jessica or Newton might find a way to get to you first. You're sitting with us today."

"Do I get a choice in the matter?" I asked amused. It's not like I'd turn them down.

"Nope." He grinned widely before wrapping an arm around my waist and leading me towards the cafeteria. I like the feeling of being in his arms. Okay, I love it. I craved it. But it's not like I could just tell him that. I sighed contentedly and walked beside him all the way to the cafeteria in silence. Rosalie was the only one sitting at the table when we got there. Emmett was across the cafeteria waiting in a long like to get them food. We walked over to drop off our books at the table when Rosalie snapped out of the trance-like daze she was in and looked at us.

"Jasper, go get Bella some food with Emmett. I want to talk to Bella." Rosalie instructed. Jasper looked confused and hesitant for a minute before nodding, dropping his arm from around me, and walking away. I looked at little nervously at Rosalie as I sat down across from her. I didn't have a problem with Rosalie, and I didn't exactly suspect she had one with me. I had hardly ever spoken to her before, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

"Is there something the matter?" I asked uncertainly.

"No." Her perfect features turned into a glowing smile. I couldn't help but smile back. "I just wanted to ask you something without Jasper's interference."

"Okay?"

"I know you like him." She said so low I don't think Jasper or Emmett could hear us from across the room. But I'm sure Jasper probably felt my embarrassment spike. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure he wasn't looking in this direction. "I'm right, right?" Slowly, I caved and nodded. "I knew it." Her smirk was triumphant. "I know, you know what you're getting into with us." I nodded. "But you have to understand this isn't a life you should want." This confused me.

"What do you mean?"

"Remember yesterday, Alice asked you if he liked what you are, and you said you weren't sure." I nodded. "I'm just saying…" She sighed. "I don't like what I am. I wanted my happy ending, and never got it. If I had, I'd be in the ground by now. I like you, Bella. You seem really nice, and you make Jasper happy. And I know, you guys aren't official, but nearly everyone knows it'll happen. But if you aren't entirely sure this is what you want, to give up forever for it."

"Thank you, really Rosalie, for your concern. It means a lot. But my 'forever' is already set. Only two things can kill me, so I'll probably live a lot longer than I should."

She smiled sadly. "Won't we all."

"You aren't happy at all?"

She sighed. "I am. Emmett is the man of my dreams. I love him more than anything. And my family is great. I just wish that there was more for life to offer me nowadays. I always wanted kids, and I can't have them. I wanted to get old and be that old couple who spends all day on the front porch reminiscing. It's just not in the cards anymore."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you. Like I said, I really like you, Bella. I want us to be friends. But I don't want to expose you to something that you shouldn't be."

"Don't worry, Rosalie. You can't expose me to something I've already been exposed to." I smiled reassuringly and noticed Emmett and Jasper walking up. Jasper sat down next to me looking cautiously between us. I smiled at him as he set the tray between us still looking slightly wary.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Perfect." I smiled and glanced at Rosalie. She smiled at me before looking at Emmett lovingly. I knew she didn't completely regret being changed. Her eyes glowed with love and contentedness whenever she looked at him.

I looked at mine and Jaspers, mostly my food. Picking up a piece of pizza, I took a bite. "How can you eat that?" He said quietly looking thoroughly disgusted. I rolled my eyes.

"You get used to it." I shrugged. "How can you drink blood? The smell is simply repulsing."

He chuckled. "It's better than you think."

"Doubtful." I bit the pizza again. I smelt Edward and Alice's approach before I saw them. I smiled as they sat down not bothering with props.

"Hey guys." Alice chirped in her usual way-too-happy-to-be-normal-even-for-a-vampire voice.

"Hey." We all answered back.

"Are you coming over tonight, Bella?" Alice asked before frowning. "Ugh, I hate not being able to see your answer." I smiled smugly at her sticking my tongue out at her. She sighed dramatically before smiling again. "So will you?"

"Can't. I have to go to the store right after school if I hope to feed myself tonight." I really did wish I could. More time there meant more time with Jasper. He was so damn addictive. I wanted him so bad. Damn that boy!

"You can have dinner at our house again. Esme would love it!" Alice said happily bouncing in her chair.

Sighing, I looked at everyone's faces. They all nodded eagerly. "Fine. Ugh, you guys are so damn annoying. How does anyone deny you anything?"

"They don't." Emmett grinned before breaking into a booming laughter.

"Stupid vampires and their stupid vampire charm." I mumbled, which they all laughed at.

"You know you love us." Emmett laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "I have to go and call my aunt, so I'm going to my car."

"Why are you going all the way to your car to call her?" Alice asked.

"Because out there you can't hear me." I stuck out my tongue at them as I stood up.

"Going to be talking about us?" Emmett asked looking thoroughly amused. They didn't actually think I would, which only made me grin wider.

"I don't know, probably." I said throwing my tray out.

"Oh? And what do you plan to say?" Jasper asked amusement in his eyes.

"That I'm so stupid for hanging out with five completely nosy vampires who have no idea what privacy means." I said rolling my eyes. "See you later!" I turned and walked briskly out of the cafeteria still feeling their eyes on me. I pulled out my phone as I headed towards my car.

"Hello?" My aunt answered as I approached my car.

"Hey, Aunt Nicole." I said as I got in. I turned on the car and speed about five miles down the highway before pulling off in the shoulder. _"Take that, vampires." _I thought.

"Hey, Bells. How are you?"

"I'm at lunch. I figured I'd ditch the vamps and come talk to you."

She laughed. "Well, I feel honored!"

"You should."

"What's up, Bella?"

"I have a question."

"Okay…"

"Well, I was thinking about it, and I really do want to tell them. I just don't know how or when."

She sighed. "I don't know, Bella. Maybe you should wait a week or two and make sure you can trust them."

"I know I can trust them. They really are great 'people.'"

"Are you still worried about their safety?"

"Yeah." I sighed. "Dumb, right?"

"No, but it does raise questions."

"Like?"

"Why are you so concerned with them?"

"Because…"

"What are you and Jasper, Bella?" The question shocked me. Truth be told, I had no idea. Sure, I had never made my feelings be known out loud, but there were times we acted like more than friends. And I knew that I couldn't picture my life without him, which is what made it so hard to tell him. He could be repulsed by the freakiness of my existence. He could think just like the last vampire I came in contact with thought. Furthermore, I had made him promise that if I became dangerous he'd get away from me. If I actually admitted to him how I truly felt about him and I were to become dangerous, I'd be crushed and forced to live with the heartache for eternity.

"I don't know." I sighed heavily. "I really don't know."

"Maybe you should find out before you tell them your secret."

"But what if after he finds out, he leaves." I hated feeling so weak.

"Then he's not good enough for you. Bells, how do you feel about him?"

I sighed again biting my lip. "I really think I'm falling for him." I said quietly and quickly so much so that I wasn't sure she'd hear me.

"I knew it." She gloated.

"How?"

"You talk about him with such admiration. I can hear it in your voice."

"Thank you, Aunt Nicole." I said as I started my car again.

"You're welcome, Kiddo."

"I have to go. Lunch is going to be over in fifteen minutes."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later." She said as I pulling back into the parking lot.

"Okay, bye." I hung up and got out of my car. I walked back to the lunchroom. The Cullens/ Hales were still at their table when I returned. "Mind if I sit? Or should I go ask Mike?"

They all looked at me. "Ew, Mike? Really?" Alice said looking disgusted making me laugh as I sat down in my previous seat next to Jasper.

"I don't know." I looked over at Mike's table. "If you squint your eyes really, really tightly, he might sort of, kind of be cute."

Jasper growled as everyone else laughed. I rolled my eyes at him wondering why he had such a response. If I had been attracted to Mike, no way in hell that would happen but if it had, why would he care?


	12. I Hate You

JPOV

I didn't like the thought of her even being mildly 'sort of, kind of' attracted to Mike Newton. I fought the urge to go kill him right now. I noticed Bella roll her eyes amusement rolling off of her. I really did love her and had since I first saw her. And much like everything in our relationship, it was unexplainable how I could fall in love so quickly. But I guess me of all people should know to trust my feelings. But how she felt about me, I wasn't sure. I felt lust and love coming off of her among many emotions frequently, but if she was thinking about me, I don't know. And since Edward and Alice can't help in this case, I feel completely lost.

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder snapping me out of my thoughts. I turned my head to see Bella now standing behind me looking kind of concerned, kind of amused. I noticed that my entire family and most of the students had already left the cafeteria.

"Ready to go?" She asked with a smile on her lips.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I wasn't able to keep a smile from forming on my face as I looked at her. I stood up and grabbed my bag before following her out of the lunchroom. "Are you sure you are okay with coming over tonight?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I mean, I didn't want you to feel forced to come over."

She smiled. "Do you want me to come over?"

"Yes. Of course I do."

"Then I will." She smiled at me again. We walked into biology and took our seats. The teacher immediately began his lecture. His eyes would move to Bella every once in awhile. "I hate this guy. He's so gross." She said too low for human to hear.

"Yes he is." I grimaced, feeling another wave of lust coming off his.

We mumbled back and forth to each other too low for humans to hear the entire class. I don't even know what the teacher was talking about, but it's not like I haven't heard about it before. When the bell rang, we stood up at the same time and headed to the door.

Gym passed in a similar manner. We played volleyball on the same team and kicked the other team's ass, might I add. After the couch dismissed us, I jogged into the locker room and changed quickly then returned to the main gym. I only had to wait a minute or two for Bella to come out.

"Are you coming straight over, or do you have to stop home first?"

"I don't have anything to do at home. So whatever you guys want."

"You can come over right away. So how many cars do you have?" I asked when we stopped beside her Corvette. Every other day, she had driven a BMW.

"Four." She grinned as she leaned back against the car. "This, the BMW, a Porsche Boxster, and a Jaguar XF."

"Fast cars."

"I like to go fast." Wow, that could be so dirty. I found myself leaning closer to her. I wanted to kiss her so bad, but I wasn't sure how she'd react.

"Jasper! Bella!" Damn evil Pixie!

"Yes, Alice?" I nearly growled spinning around already glaring at her. She just grinning biting her lip to refrain from laughed.

"I just wanted to make sure Bella was still coming over since I can't see her future and all." I could feel her amusement skyrocket. I glared at her and gave her a curt nod. "Yay! Okay, well, I'm going to go meet up with Edward. Are you riding with us, Jazz?"

I glanced at Bella to ask her permission. She shrugged. "I'll ride with Bella." I answered. She skipped away.

"Ready to go?" She asked. I smiled and nodded.

--

BPOV

I hate Alice. Officially, right this moment, I want to break her little vampire neck. He was going to kiss me, and she just goes and ruins it. And I think she knew it too from that evil little smirk. Damn her! I want to kiss him so bad, like I've never wanted anything before. I want him to kiss me. I want him to kiss. God damn it, why hasn't he kissed me yet!? I hoped he wouldn't feel my frustration, but from the looks of it, he was feeling his own. I clamped my hand around the steering wheel tighter, so tight that my knuckles turned whiter than Jasper's skin. He looked at me confused, but I didn't meet his eye. I stared in the review mirror waiting for Edward to move out of the way so I could back out.

"Bella?" Jasper said curiously.

I sighed. "Yes, Jazz?"

"Are you okay?"

"Just peachy." I grumbled as I reversed it out of the parking space nearly running straight into Mike's car. He looked shocked as I glared at him. The floored it out of the student parking lot speeding into the oncoming lane to get around Edward and a few other people waiting to turn right. I caught a glimpse of Edward's shocked face and Emmett's amused one as I stomped on the gas and headed down the road.

"Um, Bella, you're scaring me."

I sighed and looked over at him. "Sorry." I felt a rush of calm come over me, and I let off the gas pedal a little. I have him a small smile before looking back to the road.

"Want to tell me what's wrong?"

"Nope." We drove the rest of the way to his house without speaking. I stopped the car directly in front of their house and turned it off.

"I do believe you made record time." He laughed. I laughed along with his smooth sounding laughter that made my heart beat a little faster. "Let's go." He said and got out of the car. I did the same and met him on the other side of the car. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me towards the house. I tried to stop the urge to lean into him, which was quickly being harder and harder to refuse.

"Bella? Jasper? What are you doing home so soon? School just let out eight minutes ago." Esme said looking at us suspiciously.

"Bella drives like a maniac, even compared to us."

Her laughter echoed through the empty house as she beamed a large smile at me. "I'm glad you decided to come back, Bella."

"Thank you, Esme." I smiled back at her before Jasper pulled me towards the living room. He sat me down on the couch and went to get the remote. He sat down beside me rewrapping his arm around my shoulders. After he did that, I was hardly aware to what we were watching. I watched Jasper from the corner of my eye. I wanted so bad to go further than this friendship. I wanted so bad to be able to kiss him whenever I wanted, for him to be able to hold me. God, I'm selfish.

"What's wrong, Bella? Why are you feeling so guilty?"

I bit my lip trying to come up with some sort of lie. I couldn't just flat out lie to an empathetic vampires. He'd feel my dishonesty, and then I'd be screwed. "I feel guilty… because… I shouldn't be putting your family in danger." It was true. Thinking about it made a whole new wave of guilt engulf me. I really shouldn't be here, and yet I can't pull away from him. I wanted to claim him, make him mine for all of eternity.

"Bella." He said in a reproachful voice. I looked at him and pouted in the slightest hoping to get out of any lecture about how he's the monster, and how I'm being completely absurd for feeling guilty of putting indestructible, immortal creatures in 'danger.' I got what I wish and more. He stared at me for a moment before wrapping his arms around me and pulled me close. "Don't talk like that, Bella. We want you here." He whispered. His cold breath sent chills down my spine. I wondered if he could feel my lust heighten. I hoped he wouldn't. I felt his cold lips on the top of my head. I bit down my lip hard praying that I could get this lust under control. Like he could see a freak like me in that way. My attraction and building love for him will be my fatal mistake, my ultimate downfall. I sighed and laid my head against his shoulder without even thinking about it. I felt him lean his head against mine. God, I'm so screwed.

"That's was insane, Bella!" Emmett's roaring voice made me sit up pulling away from my own little Greek god. "Who knew anyone could drive more insanely than me!" I laughed as he came over and pulled me into a hug. "You are me new favorite… whatever you are."

I laughed again hugging him back. "I feel so honored."

"You should. One time Emmett here claimed one specific bear his favorite bear refused to let us take it. It was so funny. Him protecting his prey. You will be very loved now that you're his favorite… whatever." Edward chuckled.

"Come on, Bella!" Alice squealed.

I glared at her knowing full and well she knew my erratic driving was due to her cock-blocking back at the parking lot. She lit up with amusement as she fell to the floor in a fit of laughter. Then, feeling Alice's amusement, Jasper grabbed my shoulder for support as he broke into his own musical laughter that I could spend hour upon hour listening to. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"You okay, Ali?" Edward asked as his wife rolled on the floor clutching her stomach.

"What's she thinking? What's so funny?" Rosalie asked looking completely confused. Oh shit, Edward can read minds.

"She's just laughing in her head saying 'Bella… So funny' over and over." He stared curiously at me then his wife. Today must be my lucky day. I bent over abruptly causing Jasper, who still didn't know why he was in hysterics, lost balance and fell to the floor with a thud. I sighed again as I lifted with Alice as she squealed through the laughter in surprise. Before she could stop laughing long enough to have coherent thought that Edward could tell everyone and embarrass the hell out of me for, I ran upstairs to her bedroom and threw her onto the bed as I slammed the door. Finally, she regained her uneven breath.

"Count in your head." I growled sounding more menacing than I meant. She crinkled her head and looked amused but did it. I sat down beside her with a sigh. "No, I don't want to talk about it, and I'd appreciate that you not tell anyone or think about it near your husband."

"Well for me to do the second, we have to do the first."

I groaned and flopped onto my back. "Why?"

"Because you need something from me, and I just want to know." I sighed and nodded. She was grinning as big as a kid who just convinced his mother that he just had to have a new video game.

"Not here." I said. She nodded, skipped to the window, and opened in.

"You can jump, can't you?"

"Yep." I nodded and pouted sadly as I joined her at the window. She was grinning happily despite my displeasure and jumped out the window. I followed her landing on the balls of my toes with a light thud. I looked in the window to find five vampires staring curiously at us. Jasper looked so adorable when he was confused. Damn it! Edward raised an eyebrow at Alice. I glanced over at her to see her smugly sticking out her tongue at him.

"I'm singing 'I Kissed a Girl' in German." She answered my unspoken question. She looked back at her family, smiled, and waved before turning and running off towards the woods. I sighed heavily and stared after her. I shook my head. Only three thoughts were going through my head: This is going to suck, Jasper is so damn irresistible, and can I make a run for it without Alice noticing? No, I couldn't. Sighing again, I cursed under my breath with made Emmett boom with laughter. I smiled at them a sad smile before turning and running after the little ball of energy that was Alice Cullen.

_**--**_

_**Cliffhanger… Sorry. I'll update soon!!**_


	13. No More Lies

She was sitting on a fallen tree a few miles out of hearing distance, with something between a smug look and an amused looking in her eyes. I sat down on a different tree and glared at her.

"You know I hate you, right?"

"You love me." She giggled. "Maybe not as much as you do my brother though." I glared at her. "Admit it." I hissed warningly at her. "Admit it or I tell them."

"Fine." I grumbled. She light up as a triumphant smile stretched across her lips.

"I don't see why you're embarrassed. Jazz is a great guy."

"I know." I mumbled.

"Then what's the big deal?"

"Alice, can we please not have this conversation?"

"Would you be willing to do a two-week long shopping trip in Paris?"

I winced. "Will it get me out of this?"

"Silly Bella, of course not." She giggled.

"Then no."

"Figured as much." She sighed. "I know you like him, Bella. And it not the 'just a friend way' that you try to tell yourself."

Why do I bother trying to get out of it? "I don't know what you mean." She gave me a 'yeah right' look as I sighed. Why do I even bother trying? Alice was no idiot. "Is it really that obvious?" I whispered.

"Only to me. You hide it well, and you may be able to hide your future. But, Jasper can't." I raised an eyebrow. "I can't tell you the specifics because any little change can change your entire future no matter how insignificant the decision may be."

"Whatever your visions are, they're wrong."

She frowned wrinkling her nose as she shook her head. "Why do you say that?"

"I'm not going to tell him." I leaned forward resting my elbows on my knees.

"Why not?"

"I can't, Alice. Even if I want to…"

"You're very quickly falling in love with him. You get the same look in your eyes that I do when I speak of Edward or Rose of Emmett. And from your reaction in the parking lot, I'd say that you really want to kiss him. So what it is the problem?"

"For one, he sure as hell doesn't like me like that back."

"Like hell he doesn't! Are you blind?"

I glared at her. "Just being rational."

"Ugh, you do not see yourself clearly!"

"Even if there was the slightest bit of him even remotely interested in me, which there isn't, it will all disappear when my secret come out."

"Please, Bella, you could be a three-headed, tailed, green sea monster that preys on baby seals, and he'd love you nonetheless." My heart fluttered in reaction to her words, and for a second, I allowed myself think about what it would be like if life was that perfect. Then again, it wasn't, so my brain quickly caught up and yelled at me for even allowing myself to think like that.

"At least then, he'd know what I am. He'd know what to expect. He'd know he'd be safe because he isn't a seal. With me? God know what will happen with me."

"He'd love you if you were a vampire hunter out to have his head."

"Right." I rolled my eyes in disbelief. "Can't you just let me live dreaming of what might have happened instead of ruin everything with the truth?"

"Bella, you're family now! Nobody is going to reject you regardless of what you are. You're going to be family for a long, long, long time, so get used to it!"

"Alice, please, just drop it." I pleaded.

"I will when you start having some sort of sense! He loves you, and you love him. Don't deny it, because it's written all over you two's faces. Esme knows it too. She's started saying that she got a third daughter the first day you came over to our house. If you can accept us as blood-drinking monsters without batting an eyelash, then we sure as hell aren't going to be repulsed or afraid of what you are." Tears were rolling down my cheeks in great waves. I knew what I wanted. I just didn't know how to get it. I sunk to the ground and pulled my legs to my chest wrapping my arms around my knees. She sat down beside me and wrapped an arm around me laying her head on my shoulder. "You're stuck with us, Bella. We love you already. Nothing you say to us will ever change that."

I sobbed even harder truly touched by the sincerity of her words. There were only three people who knew my secret and truly accepted it: my mother, my aunt, and my uncle. We sat there for about ten minutes as I collected myself.

"Okay." I whispered. She smiled at me engulfing me in her arms before standing up and pulling me to my feet. "Thank you, Alice."

"You're welcome, Bella." She grinned at me.

"What?"

"You're going to be my new sister."

I rolled my eyes but smiled at the fact. She grabbed my hand and pulled me along until we began running. We were back at the house in a minute. Alice grabbed my hand so I would stop. I looked at her questioningly as she pointed through the window.

"Now does that look like a guy who doesn't love you?" I looked to see what she meant to find Jasper pacing back and forth looking concerned. I couldn't help but smile at the thought as she beamed at me. "Come on."

I followed her into the house. In an instant, Jasper was beside me. I noticed Alice grinning as she moved to leave.

"Start counting." I warned. She laughed loudly as her musical laugher filled the air.

"1, 2, 3…" I giggled and looked at Jasper.

"Hey." He breathed out. His hand cupped my cheek as his thumb whipped away the lasting tears.

"Hey." I smiled at him softly. He engulfed me in his arms making me feel instantly relaxed. I felt like I belonged there. I laid my head against his shoulder and sighed contentedly. For once, I didn't even care if he felt it. I felt him lay his head down on top of my head.

"What's wrong?" He whispered into my ear.

I couldn't help but smile even more at the obvious concern in her voice. "Nothing."

"What did Alice want to talk to you about?" I looked over his shoulder to see Alice excitedly jumping up and down as she watched me. Catching my questioning eyes, she nodded and waved me away with my hand.

"Will you go on a walk with me?" I whispered.

He nodded still looking concerned that something had gone wrong. I gave him a reassuring smile as I grabbed his hand and pulled him from the house. He followed, and once we got to the forest line, I took off running with him not far behind. I wasn't sure where I want to go as long as it was far enough away from Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, and Alice.

"I thought you said a walk?" He yelled over the wind. I laughed remembering when I had said the same thing. I stopped when I noticed where we were. He stopped too and must have notice. "The clearing?" I smiled at him and shrugged as I grabbed his hand again and pulled him into the clearing. He looked at me suspiciously as I sat down in the grass patting the ground beside me. He sat down beside me. "Is something wrong, Bella?"

"No, I just need to talk to you." He looked at me warily. I looked down at our intertwined fingers nervously. Can I really do this? What if Alice is wrong? It's got to be possible. I am so stupid.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"You wanted to say something?" He looked really concerned now. What do I say? Shit!

"Um, yeah, I, um, just don't know how."

"Take your time."

I nodded as I stood up and began pacing trying to work the words out in my head. He watched me the entire time. His eyes followed me carefully studying my every movement. I stopped and turned towards him to say something. I opened my mouth but no words came outs. Sighing, I shut my mouth and began pacing once again. I repeated this four more times. Finally, I knelt down in front of him and took his hands into mine. He still looked extremely confused.

"I really, really like you, Jasper." I said so fast I wasn't sure that even him as a vampire understood it. "And I have since I met you, which is why I had such a hard time when you decided to avoid me. I don't know why it happened, because I'm so used to be able to keep people at arms' length and yet here after less than three weeks I'm falling in love with you. And it's fine if you don't feel the same way or after you find out what I am you want me to leave you alone. I'll understand if you never want to see me again. I just really needed to tell you that I'm falling in love with you." I bit my lip as I finished my little speech. He looked slightly surprised with his face froze in one position. When two minutes passed and he was still just staring at me, I began to get nervous. When I moved to withdraw my hands from his, his fingers tightened around mine. I looked at him hoping for so kind of clue to what he was thinking. Our eyes locked as he ran his fingers through my hair. I breathed slowly fearing any sudden movements who make him disappear, and I'd realize this was all a dream. I leaned slightly into his touch as he moved him hand down and traced my jaw with his finger.

"I'm falling in love with you too, Isabella Swan." He whispered. "And no matter what, I'll always love you." Tears filled my eyes as he said this. I let out a shaky breath as he leaned forward and leaned his forehead against me. "Don't ever doubt that, okay?" I nodded ever so slightly. Before I could say anything or construct anything close to a coherent thought, his lips were on mine. His lips slowly molded to mine and moved in sync with every move mine made. I wrapped my arms around his neck intertwining my fingers in his hair as he pulled me into his lap. I straddled his legs pushing myself as close to him as possible. His cold tongue traced my lower lip asking permission. I opened my mouth and our tongues instantly fought for control. I pushed myself even closer as I felt his cold hand on the back of my neck pulling me as close as possible. I had to pull back to breath after a few minutes. His lips moved to my neck without skipping a beat. I moaned rolling my neck back as his lips furthered their attack on my neck. After a few minutes, he worked his way back up to my lips. I kissed him passionately as his cold sipped under the back of my shirt making me shiver ever so slightly with pleasure. I ran my fingers threw his hair pulling his lips off mine and moved my mouth along his jaw line back to his ear. He moaned as I nibbled on it and kissed down his neck before moving back to his lips. He kissed me slowly and lovingly again before pulling back and resting his forehead against mine. Both our breathing was heavy. I kissed his lips lightly on more time as I untangled my fingers from his now messy locks.

"I love you." I whispered.

"I love you too." He replied.


	14. Shocked Speechless

We stayed there for another hour just sitting there. He held me in his arms kissing the top of my head every so often. I was perfectly content staying there forever, but my stomach was disagreeing with me.

"You're hungry." He said.

"Yeah." There was no use lying to an empathetic vampire I guess.

"Come on, let's go get you something to eat." He said standing up pulling me with him. I sighed and nodded not really wanting to leave this perfect bliss. He grabbed my hand, and we took off running through the woods back towards his house. I could only imagine what awaited for us there. We were back in the yard in a matter of minutes.

I heard Emmett yell, "The lovebirds are back!" Damn vampires.

We walked up the porch steps to the front door only to have the door fly open. The smiling faces of six really annoying greeted us. Alice squealed at the sight of our intertwined fingers.

"I'm so happy!" She screamed nearly throwing me down the steps when she jumped at me. I hugged her back laughing lightly. She moved to hug Jasper as everyone else moved to hug me as if they had formed a line. They offered us their congratulations before Esme whisked me away to the kitchen as Jasper was taken away by Emmett. She physically couldn't stop smiling.

"I'm so happy for you two. You make such an adorable couple, Bella." I smiled as she rambled about how she had a feeling about me. It warmed my heart to hear that she thought of me so highly. She fixed me some dinner and set it down in front of me to eat just as Jasper walked in. He smiled at me and

kissed my temple as I took a bit of chicken. I noticed Esme slip out of the kitchen quietly to give us some time alone.

"That looks disgusting." He whispered in my ear.

"I'm sure your meals don't look all that appetizing either." He chuckled as he sat down beside me.

"How long can you stay?"

I shrugged. "I don't have much to do tonight other then maybe sleep."

"Maybe?"

"I don't have to sleep if I don't want to. It's more of a luxury." I told him. He nodded and gave me a confused look. I knew he was curious and he had every right to be, but he was also trying to hid it and respect my wishes. And for that I was grateful, but it was getting to be time I told them. It wasn't fair to keep them in the dark for so long like this.

"What are you thinking about, Babe?" He asked running his fingers through my hair.

"I'm thinking that we have to talk." I said quietly before standing and taking my plate to the sink. I washed it quickly before returning to his side. He seemed a little scared over what I had said. I intertwined my fingers with his and pulled him to the empty living room. I sat him down on the couch as he eyed me nervously and took the seat beside him. "Can everyone come here for a few minutes, please?" I spoke normally knowing everyone in the house would hear me.

Alice was the first there looking torn over whether she should be worried or excited. "Something wrong?" She asked quickly as Edward walked up behind her. I heard Emmett's heavier footsteps on the stairs, and he appeared with Rosalie throwing over his shoulder in an instant.

"What's going on?" He asked looking between Jasper and I.

"Emmett, put me down." Rosalie ordered.

"Sorry, Babe." He set her back on the ground with a sheepish smile.

"Are you guys busy? Can we talk?" I asked when I saw Esme and Carlisle joining us.

"Of course." Carlisle smiled politely at me and guided is wife to the couch across from Jasper and I. I waited nervously as everyone sat down around the room with their mates. Feeling my nerves, Jasper pulled me closer to him wrapping his arm around me.

"What do you want to talk about, dear?" Esme asked with her motherly tone.

"After I tell you this, you will all have questions. I will answer them how I can, but you must understand that there are no real definite answers about my future. Also, please do understand, that I would never blame any of you all are worried about me being here and want me to leave. I'll be gone tomorrow if you ask me to." I felt Jasper tense ever so slightly beside me.

"Please don't." He whispered into my ear. I squeezed his hand and gave him a light smile before looking around the room.

"Whenever you're ready, Bella." Carlisle said.

I nodded and took a deep breath before beginning. "I've never been human. There's no real word for what I am. I guess I'm kind of a… hybrid." They all stared at me confused by my words. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm more alike you then you may think. You know I run as fast as you and I can lift the same weights you can. You know that I can hear like you and see everything like you. That is because my biological father was one of you." They all gasped loudly at what I had just told them. I looked down to the floor. "My mother was a young human and eager for love. She met Charlie, my vampire father, and fell in love. Three weeks after I was born, he was killed by another vampire. Um… that's it I guess." I looked at their faces biting my lip nervously.

Carlisle was the first to find his voice. "How is that even possible?"

I took a deep breath before answering. "Um, not many human women survive sex with vampires since most lack the control to be so close to a human for an extend amount of time. But a girl vampire can no longer be pregnant because their bodies can't change to accommodate babies, which is why most vampires don't realize that a guy vampire can still father children." I explained slightly awkwardly explaining to them of their own anatomy. Nobody spoke for a long time, and the apprehension was killing me. "Please, someone say something." I stared at the floor hoping that they would say something.

"This is just… shocking. I never knew it was possible." Carlisle said.

"Please tell us more, if you can." Esme requested.

I nodded and smiled slightly at her. "Um, when I turn eighteen, I will stop aging entirely. My mother and aunt both tried to find out what other changes would happen then, but because 'hybrids' aren't common, they couldn't really gather much information. Two things can kill me: vampires and werewolves. I don't have to be burned to die because if a vampire rips me apart then I'll die fairly instantaneously. Um… I don't have to sleep if I don't want to. I could go for a few days without eating if I wanted to, but it gets uncomfortable after awhile kind of how it is for you guys to stop breathing… What else do you want to know?"

They were quiet soaking in the information I had given them. Jasper still hadn't spoke, but I was too afraid to look at him. I didn't want to see the rejection. When they didn't say anything, I felt my insecurities welling within me. I was a freak. A product of a twisted conception that nobody could love. I stood up slower than necessary and looked around at them. I still couldn't bring myself to look at Jasper though. "I'll go." I mumbled.

"Bella." Jasper finally said grabbing my hand. I didn't meet his eye though just stared down at the ground.

"It's okay, Jazz." I said sadly.

"Please don't go." He whispered as I pulled my hand away from his. I felt tears rush to my eyes. I don't know what I expected. I was something that couldn't be accepted. There were humans in this world, and there were vampires. Hybrids weren't supposed to exist in this world.

"You need to digest this information." My voice sounded so weak. I didn't like sounding weak and vulnerable.

"We do." He agreed. I finally looked at him. His eyes didn't show disgust or anything bad, but I couldn't convince myself that it really wasn't there. I leaned over and kissed his forehead as a tear slipped out.

"See you later, Jazz." Before he could protest, I ran out of the house as fast as I could go.


	15. Never Doubt Us

**Sorry that I haven't updated in so long. I was out of town with no internet at all!**

**--**

JPOV

This isn't possible. Every rational thought told me that we couldn't get humans pregnant. And yet there sitting in front of me was Bella, a product of just that. I could feel everyone's shock radiating off them and onto me. I could feel Bella's insecurities coming at me at full force, but I couldn't find my voice to say anything. It was a lot of information to process. There wasn't any part of me that was repulsed by the idea, only dumbfounded. I felt a terrible guilt weighing down on me when she ran out of the house. I loved her and what she had just told us didn't affect that in any way. I just wasn't sure what to say to take her insecurities away. She was in fact, as she had told us since she admitted to not being human, an unrealistic enigma in the vampire world. It was a lot of information to digest. I felt terrible for not offering her condolences when she needed me to do so but I could hardly begin to wrap my head around this information. But she needed to know I love her more than anything regardless of what she was, so I stood and ran out after her without a word to my family.

By the time I made it to her house, I could hear her faint cries from her room on the top floor. I climbed the tree I had spent many nights sitting in and pushed her window open. She jumped up startled by the almost inaudible creak that the window let out. I jumped in before she could protest. She stared at me through tearful eyes but said nothing to either protest or welcome my presence. I cautiously walked closer to her gauging her reaction with every step.

"Jasper." She whispered. Hesitance was laced within her voice, and it killed me knowing that my moment of silence had caused it. She pulled the blanket higher on her body when I got to her bedside. I carefully reached down and stroked her warm cheek. She shut her eyes only for a second before pulling away. "Please don't." She whispered. Her voice was heartbreaking.

"Bella, please listen."

She looked at me as tears threatened to fall. "What do you want, Jasper?"

I sat down on the bed and pulled her into my arms. She fought against me, but I refused to let her go. Finally she gave up and buried her face in my neck. "I love you and always will. I told you not to doubt that."

I felt her hot tears against my skin. "You weren't saying anything." She sobbed.

"I was just shocked, darlin'. I will always love you. I promise you that." I held her as she cried for a long while without saying a word.

"You shouldn't be here, Jazz." She sniffled as she pulled her head away from my neck.

"Where else would I be?"

"I told you, Jazz. I'm unstable. God knows what will happen in a couple months."

"We're going to be fine no matter what happens. I'm not going anywhere." She relaxed against my chest and shut her eyes thinking about something. "You should sleep."

"I don't have to sleep, remember?"

"I know, but you've had an exhausting day."

She opened her eyes and looked at me. "Will you stay with me?"

I couldn't help but smile as her eyes shinned with hope. "There's nowhere I'd rather be." She smiled then a look of uncertainty crossed her face. "What's wrong?"

"Would it be wrong if I kissed you? I mean, I don't want to push you. It's a lot to digest all at one time, so you don't have to… if you don't want to…" I smirked at her little mini-ramble and cut her off by pressing my lips against hers. I kissed her slowly and ran my tongue along her bottom lip hoping she'd allow it. She opened her mouth and allowed my tongue to slip past and into the pure heaven that was her mouth. I felt her fingers run through my hair as she pulled me closer to deepen the kiss. After a few moments, she pulled back breathing heavily.

"I love you, Bella." I kissed her forehead as her breathing returned to normal.

"I love you too, Jazz." I lied down beside her and got situated under the covers. Her body heat radiated off of her as she curled up beside me resting her head against my chest. It wasn't long until she drifted off to sleep.


	16. We Are Family

BPOV

I was afraid to open my eyes and see that everything that happened had been some twisted story that my brain cooked up just to torture me. I admitted that I loved Jasper. I told them my secret. And by some miracle, he still loved me. I'm delusional, I'm sure.

Slowly, I opened my eyes to face my demise only to realize for the first time that my head was not resting on my pillow. No, it was resting on something so much better: the rock hard, cool abs of a very sexy vampire. I tilted my head up to see his face. He stared back. His golden eyes glowed through the darkness as he watched me carefully.

"Good morning." He said softly.

"Hey." I whispered and laid my head back down on his chest. "So yesterday wasn't a dream?"

"No." He chuckled.

"So everyone knows?" I sighed.

"Something the matter, darlin'?" I didn't answer. "You're worried." I nodded. No use lying when he already knows the answer. "Why?"

"I'm just worried about what will happen now."

I felt his fingers run through my hair. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want things to change." I sighed heavily and turned my head to look at him. "Your family is really, really great. And I love you more than I probably should… And I don't want things to change."

He gave me a soft smile. "Nothing's going to change."

I wanted to believe him. I really did. But it seemed so illogical. Of course things would change. The situation had change. How could things not change?

I turned away from him lying down so my head was back on his chest. I felt his fingers lace and unlace themselves within my hair as I drew patterns on his stomach with my finger. His cold lips pressed down on the top of my head after a minute then his motions through my hair began again.

After about twenty minutes of silence, I sat up. "I should go shower. We need to go over to your house."

"Why?" He asked as I walked across the room to find clothes.

"Obviously, they're going to have questions. I'll be back in ten minutes."

He sighed and pushed himself off the bed. "I'll make you breakfast."

--

After I had gotten ready for the day and eaten breakfast, we headed over to his house. I was nervous, which he apparently felt because he grabbed my hand and rubbed it soothingly. I stared up at the house hesitantly biting my lip as we pulled up. He cut the engine and was at my door in an instant. I took his outstretched hand and let him led me in. It was fairly quite compared to the other times I had walked into the house. I knew they were all waiting in the living room before I saw them sitting there.

"Hey guys." I said trying to sound as confident if I could. They all greeted me as Jasper gestured for me to sit where we had the night before.

"We're glad to see we didn't scare you away, dear." Esme said. "Our behavior yesterday was inexcusable."

"No, no." I shook my head. "It was a big bomb to drop. I mean, I told you something that basically challenges everything you knew about you thought about your own anatomy. I'd understand if you were hesitant to find truth in it."

"We believe you, of course." Carlisle assured me.

"I just hope this doesn't change anything between us."

"Of course not, dear." Esme replied in a motherly tone. "Our son loves you, and we love you too. You're not going anywhere. We're family."

I felt tears rushing to my eyes by her kind words. "Thank you, Esme." I whispered. Jasper tightened his hold around my waist and kissed my temple. For the first time in a long time, I felt like maybe I did belong somewhere, maybe everything will be okay.

**--**

**I know that this update was very short and well overdue. I have had some major writer's block that is just now being resolved. I made this chapter so short because in the next chapter I'm planning to skip forward some in the story and didn't want to in the middle of a chapter.**


	17. Dark, Red, and So Sickening

BPOV

For the first time in a long time, I had a family again. I loved them all, and they loved me. Rosalie and Alice had become my best friends and sisters. Edward and Emmett stole the roles of protective older brothers. And Esme and Carlisle filled the holes in my heart the death of my mother and uncle had left. They could never replace the love I had for them, they treated me as nothing less than a daughter, and I loved them for that. And Jasper? I loved Jasper with everything that I am. There's no other way that I could describe it.

Four blissful months passed since I told the Cullens of what I truly was. I spent almost all my time over at the Cullen's mansion except when they were hunting or we were at school. Everything in our lives resembled some sort of normality. Well, as normal as a family of vampires and a half-vampire lives could be.

I took a deep breath as my eyes flutter open. Jasper's intoxicating scent surrounded me. I buried my head further into his chest and tightened my arms around his waist. I felt his hand trail up my back before moving back down to my ass. I tilted my head back, so I was looking up at him and pressed my lips against his. He rolled onto his back pulling me on top of him to deepen the kiss.

Someone by the door cleared their throats. Sighing, I turned my head towards the door and looked at Edward. He smirked at my annoyed look. "We have to go."

Jasper sighed into my shoulder before nodding. Edward took his cue to leave. I frowned down at my boyfriend for a second before kissing him again. His hand moved from my waist up to my hair. After about three minutes of this, I heard an irritated Rosalie yell for Jasper.

It was going to be sunny the next couple days, so they were leaving up to the mountains for a three day hunting trip, which meant I was going to be all alone. "I love you." He said planting another kiss on my lips.

"I love you too." I rolled off him. "You better go before Rosalie comes up and rips you limb from limb."

He sighed and buried his head in my neck. "I don't want to."

"Your eyes are almost black. You have to." I felt him kiss down my neck. I couldn't suppress a moan.

"Jasper! Get your horny ass down here now!" Rosalie screamed.

"You really have to go." I sighed pulling away. Placing one last kiss on his lips, I pushed him out of bed. "I'll call you tonight."

He hurriedly got changed in a pair of loose jeans, a black t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers. Leaning over me, he gave me a light kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now go." I kicked his ass towards the door. He laughed and headed out. I heard him run down the stairs.

"Jeez, could you be anymore impatient?" He chuckled.

"You were saying goodbye for like five minutes. We have to go before the sun comes up." Rosalie grumbled.

"You are all bringing your mates on this trip. Bella can't come." He mumbled sadly. I couldn't help but smile. I would miss him over the next few days.

"Come on, Lover-boy. We have to be going." Alice said.

"Bye Bella!" They all called at the same time.

"Bye guys." I giggled. "Love you, Jazz."

"Love you too, Bells."

"Come on!" Rosalie snapped before the door slammed. I listen to two cars starting, Emmett's jeep and Carlisle's Mercedes. I sighed and rolled over on my side. It was four am, and I had already gotten three hours of sleep, which was more than enough. But just sitting in the empty house made me miss Jasper even more.

I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom that was connected to Jasper's room. I showered quickly and dried my hair before throwing it up into a ponytail. I changed into a pair of jeans, a blue t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers. Deciding to go on a run, I jumped out the window and started off through the woods. I ran through the woods all the way out to the eastern state line of Washington then doubled back to go as far west as I could without crossing the La Push line, which the Cullens had warn me about. I stopped around three miles outside La Push to rest a little bit. School had already started back in Forks, but I wasn't much in the mood for school today. Since I had come to Forks and almost immediately got involved with the Cullens, I hadn't bother to get involved with any humans. It was easier for both the Cullens and I that way.

I had been sitting there for ten minutes thinking about Cullens when I smelt it. I couldn't quiet place the odor, but it was horrid. I looked around and caught a glimpse of a huge dog flying at me. Its paws slammed against my chest throwing me off rock I had been sitting on. I felt its claws sink into my rock hard flesh as if they were cutting through butter. I let out a scream of pain as we slid across the forest floor. I looked up at the attacker and wasn't the least bit surprised to find a werewolf on top of me. I felt the claws again digging into my skin.

All the sudden, the wolf jumped up onto his hind legs as if his front paws had been burnt. He let out a loud howl and stared down at me around. Within his wide black eyes, I could see the shock. I assume at my blood. Obviously he thought I was a full vampire. Before I could say anything, he took off into the woods once again whimpering the entire way.

In my life, I had never seen my own blood. Not much could penetrate my skin therefore it had never been cut. I touched my bleeding abdomen and looked at the red liquid on my hand. It looked like what I had imagined it looking like. Dark, red, and so sickening.


	18. Glue Me Back Together

I rolled onto my side and forced myself to my legs. The pain increased ten times as bad. I had never experienced anything like it. Taking a deep breath, I took off towards Forks. The pain was almost crippling when I ran. It felt like I couldn't breathe. When I got to the Cullen's, I damn near broke down the door in my haste to get inside. As soon as I crossed the threshold, I stripped off my shirt collapsed on the couch. I inspected the holes that were still bleeding the best I could as I dug in my pocket for my cell phone. I found it with some difficulty and hit speed dial six.

"Hello?" Carlisle answered after too long. I knew I had interrupted him while actually hunting, which is why it was a rule not to call them when they were on their trips unless it was an emergency. I think this classified.

"I need you to get back here as soon as possible." I told him as calmly as I could. It hurt to breathe and talk though.

"What's…?"

"Just get back here. Just you. Nobody else."

"Bella? What's going on?"

"Bella? Why is she calling?" I heard Jasper's voice in the background.

"I'm at your house. Don't let anyone else come." I begged as tears rolled off my cheeks.

"Why can't anyone else come?"

"Please, Carlisle." I was sobbing now. I heard muffled sounds and footsteps then more muffled sounds.

"Bella? What's wrong? Bella?" Jasper's frantic voice said.

"Where's Carlisle?"

"He just took off. Baby, what's going on?" I couldn't tell him that I just got attacked by a werewolf. He'd run back as quickly as possible. And their house had blood all over the place. Someone could lose control. I knew my blood had no scent to them when it was in the body, but I couldn't be sure what would happen if they smelt it while I was actually bleeding.

"Just stay there and don't come back until we call you. How long will it be until he gets back to your house?"

"Twenty minutes. Bella, please tell me what's going on."

"I have to go. I'll call you in a little bit. I love you."

"Bella…" I hung up hoping he'd just stay where he was.

Carlisle would be here in about eighteen minutes. I needed to slow the bleeding the best I could. I grabbed one of the throw pillows silently apologizing to Esme and pressed it to my chest and abdomen. I didn't know if it would help or how fast I would heal. I didn't even know if Carlisle would be able to help me.

Minutes seemed to drag on for hours as I counted my slow heart beats. I breathed slowly trying my best to think of something other than the pain. I thought of Jasper and our time together. I thought about the love that flowed out of him this morning and his husky, smooth voice with a light Southern accent lingering between every word. It made my heart melt and flutter all that the same time. I remembered how I fought off a chill every time he lovingly caressed my body and whenever he buried his head in the crook of my neck I could feel his cool breath on my skin. These thoughts chased away the pain until it was in the back of my mind.

I moved the pillow from my bleeding wounds. The heavy scent of rust and salt lingered in the air twisting at my stomach. I forced the thought away and reexamined the deep wounds. Returning the pillow, I turned my head to the clock to see Carlisle was still a few minutes out. My phone started ringing for the third time in the last couple minutes. I ignored it knowing it was Jasper. Staring up at the ceiling, I tried to refocus my thoughts on something else.

Time passed slowly until I heard light, rapid footsteps coming towards the house. I only heard one set and sigh with relief when I realized he was alone. After a second, the door flew open. "Oh my god." He breathed out either seeing or smelling the blood. "Bella!"

"In here." I answered weakly. He was in the doorway in the flash and stared at me with wide eyes.

"Oh my god, Bella. What happened?" He dropped to his knees next to me and removed the pillow and gasped.

"Werewolf." A look of anger crossed his face. His eyes turned a few shades darker.

"How the hell did that happen?" He growled. It was the angriest I had ever seen him.

"We'll talk about that later. Will you please…?" His eyes soften as he nodded before looking back to my wounds.

"Do you know how easily you heel?"

"Not a clue. I've never even gotten a paper cut."

"Alright, let me get you to my office." He lifted me into his arms and ran me upstairs. He set me down on the couch in his office and started riffling through his stuff. "I think needles will break." He sighed furrowing his eyebrows in deep thought. "Staples won't penetrate. We could try medical glue. We won't have to penetrate your skin. And if you heal like a vampire does when they lose a limb, the wounds should close."

"Worth a try." I sighed. He nodded in agreement but still looked unsure. He ran out of the room and returned with a wet rag. He returned to my side and hastily but carefully wiped away the blood before grabbing some disinfectant. The sting I had seen from commercials didn't come as he spread the disinfectant with sterile gauze. Then again, he disappeared out the door and reappeared with his medical bag. He dug through it for a few moments before withdrawing what looked like a tube of super glue.

"This should keep the wounds closed long enough for the skin to reconnect… I hope." He looked uncertain once again.

"Carlisle, just try it. The worse that could happen is it doesn't work and I'm still bleeding."

He took a deep breath and nodded. "It's worth a try." I lied perfect still as his fingers attempted to glue the wounds shut. He looked at me apologetically every time I whimpered. It took nearly five minutes until he declared it was the best he could do. He helped me to the sitting position then wrapped my abdomen and chest in what had to be three inches of gauze. "You have to stay in bed. No sudden movements. It might tear the glue."

I nodded as he picked me up and took me to Jasper's room, where I'd be more comfortable. "So what happened?" He asked once I was settled in bed.

"I was out on a run, and I was sure I kept on our side of the line. The next thing I know a big dog is on top of me digging his claws into me. Then he jumped off and stared at me before taking off into the woods." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Come on, Carlisle. I'll be fine. No worries."

"It's not acceptable, Bella. You have a heart beat! They should have know."

"I look like a vamp, though. Please just let it go. Nothing to worry about."

He sighed. "It's not right, Bella. I'll let it go for now, but Jasper won't." I grimaced. "I'm going to go bleach the blood. Call if you need me." I nodded as he walked out. It wasn't long until the foul sting on bleach burnt my nose. Sighing, I relaxed back into bed willing the pain in my abdomen to go away. I glanced over at Jasper's side of the bed and frowned. I missed Jasper.


	19. Something to Lose

"Bella, I got the smell of blood out if you want to call them back. Jasper's probably going out of his mind with worry." Carlisle told me from the doorway. I looked over at him and smiled in thanks. He handed me my cell phone, which I had left downstairs, and smiled back.

"Thank you for your help, Carlisle."

"I'm glad I could help." With that, he left me to make the phone call. I dialed Jasper's number as quickly as I could. I needed him.

"Bella?" He answered with frantic worry. I couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of my lips.

"Hey. I'm okay. No need to worry."

He sighed with relief. "Do you have any idea how worried we've been?"

I couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "I'm sorry, Baby. I didn't mean to worry you. But I really need you now, so could you come back?"

"Already on my way, Darlin'. Is everything okay? What happened?"

"I'll explain when you get here. I love you, Jasper."

"I love you too, Bella." I could practically hear the smile in his voice and couldn't help smiling myself. "I'll be there in ten."

"Okay." I hung up after that. "They'll be here soon, Carlisle." I spoke normally knowing he'd hear me.

It took eleven minutes for him and the rest of the family to get here. As soon as the door opened, I heard a slight hiss. The bleach burned when you first get a whiff of it. I had finally gotten used to it, but when Carlisle first poured it, I near puked.

"Why did you clean with bleach, Carlisle?" Rosalie complained.

"Bella's upstairs." Carlisle told them though I'm sure they already knew.

The door flew open a minute later and revealed Jasper. I smiled at him as his eyes swept over me. Thankfully, the bandages were covered by a blanket, so there was no immediate indication I had been hurt. Satisfied that he didn't see anything, he came over and placed a soft, loving kiss on my lips. I sighed as he pulled away.

"What's wrong, Darlin'?" He asked. I noticed the rest of the family had joined us being the ever curious vampires they were.

"Sit down." I told him patting the empty spot on the bed. He shot me a confused look before following my instructions. I intertwined my fingers with his both because I had missed him and wanted to and because I didn't want him running off to murder any wolves as soon as I told him. "Now stay completely calm, okay?" He still wore a mask of confusion but nodded. I looked to the family. "I was attacked by a werewolf while I was out running." I told them all calmly.

Just as I suspected, they all growled angrily, and Jasper tried to jump out of bed. My hand still interlocked with his kept him where he sat. "What!?" He yelled. His eyes were already turning back with anger and disbelief.

"Calm down, I'm fine." Slight lie, but that's okay. His eyes swooped over me again.

"You weren't hurt?" He asked carefully but anger still lingered in the air. I glanced around at the family. Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, and Alice were pissed. Esme looked concerned. Carlisle looked calculating.

"Well… Not badly." I told me with a shrugged. Still a slight lie.

He was quiet for a second before his eyes went completely black. "The bleach." I bit my lip.

"There was a little blood, which is why I didn't want you all coming back right away. But I'm fine now. Carlisle patched me back up."

"Let me see." Jasper growled.

"It's not that big of a deal. I'm fine."

"Please, Bella." I sighed and threw the cover back off me. Carlisle came forward to help me get the bandages off. When they were off, I heard the collective intake of breath. Jasper let out a loud, angry growl as his fingers delicately ran over the forming scars on my stomach. I wonder idly what they would look like once they were completely healed. I shook the thought away and looked over at Jasper.

"See, they're healing quickly."

"I'll kill them." He growled. I grabbed his hand to keep him in place.

"No you won't. It'll do nothing but start a war."

"If this is how Sam lets his wolves act then maybe a war is needed." He countered.

"I look like a vampire, Jasper. I smell sort of like a vampire. It was an easy mistake."

"You have a heartbeat, Bella. That's not an easy thing to miss."

"Please, Jazz, just let it go. I can't lose any of you if you all get involved in a war with unstable werewolves."

Emmett scoffed. "The puppies don't stand a chance." He told me while flexing a little. I giggled shaking my head.

"Jasper?" I said after a few minutes of silence.

He looked away from my stomach to look at me. His eyes studied mine for a few moments. His eyes were still black around the edges and a dark golden color closer to the center. "We'll call Sam…" I opened my mouth to protest once more. "And we'll _try_ to have a civilized meeting, okay?" He leaned down and gave me a soft kiss. "But for the record, I still think we should tear the mutt to shreds." He said after pulling away. I shook my head and giggled.

"Bella, you should rest." Carlisle told me from the door before coming to the bed to help me redress my wounds.

"Thank you, Carlisle." I told him as the family started retreating from the bedroom to give us some privacy. As soon as we were alone, Jasper pulled me into his arms. I sighed contentedly as I let my head fall to his chest. I felt safe in his arms. Nothing in the world was wrong when I was in his arms. "I love you so much, Jasper. I can't stand the thought of losing you over something as little as this."

"I could have lost you, Darlin'. That isn't something that can be brushed away." He sighed as his buried his face in my hair.

"But you didn't." I ran my hand along his bicep. Something that helps him calm down. I felt the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest as he took unnecessary breaths. It was comforting. Somewhere in the back of my head, I knew that today was the closest I had come to the end of my immortal life. And that part of me clung to Jasper like a scared child. No matter how cool and collected I seemed about it, the turn today's events had taken had shaken me to the core. I wasn't ready to die. Not now. Probably not ever. I was always supposed to live forever but it wasn't until recently that I started wanting to live forever. Until recently I had nothing to live for. Sure there was Aunt Nicole, who could die at any moment and leave me with nobody else. And there were people at school, who I created superficial friendships with and who I would leave and never see again in order to keep secrecy. When I met Jasper and the Cullens, though, everything changed. I had someone to spend my eternal life together, and I wasn't ready to let that go.

"What's wrong, Darlin'?" He asked softly wiping the moisture from tears I hadn't realized I had cried away with his thumb.

I hugged myself closer ignoring the pain the motion invoked in my abdomen and buried my head into the nape of his neck. "I don't want to lose you. Ever."


	20. Taken Advantage

JPOV

Bella had drifted to sleep in my arms after a little while. I held her for two hours watching her sleep and replaying what had happened in my head. Only one thought plagued me. I could have lost her today because of some fucking werewolf's "mistake." I knew I wouldn't be satisfied with anything short of ripping his head off and tearing him limb from limb, but I had promised to try to be civil. For now at least.

"Jasper." Carlisle called from the floor below me. I sighed and kissed Bella's headed before slipping out of the bed. She whimpered quietly before quieting back into sleep. I descended on the stairs still thinking about killing that mutt. As I walked into the living room, Edward nodded slightly in agreement to my bloody thoughts.

"You called?" I asked looking to Carlisle.

"I thought we'd call Sam while Bella was sleeping to set up a meeting." I couldn't help but growl at the mention of the dog but nodded nonetheless. Carlisle dialed the phone, put it on speakerphone, and set it on the table.

"Hello, Dr. Cullen." Sam answered sounding worn out. I bit back a growl and glared angrily at the phone.

"Hello, Sam." Carlisle replied too politely for the circumstances if you ask me. "We need to meet."

Sam sighed. "I guess we do."

"Tonight?"

"Ten in the clearing?"

"See you then." The called ended on Sam's end. "I want you all there."

My mind was already busy with possibilities. All of which ended not so well for the wolves. Without a word to the family, I ran up the stairs to Bella. She was still sleeping as I slipped into bed and re-gathered her in my arms. Her head nuzzled into my chest as a contented sigh escaped her lips.

It was only another twenty minutes before she stirred. All murderous thoughts left my head as her eyes slowly opened and met mine. She yawned widely before smiling at me. "Did you sleep well?" I asked leaning down to place a kiss on her nose. She nodded and snuggled closer to me putting her face in my neck.

"Anything happen while I was out?" She asked after a few minutes.

"We called Sam."

"When are we meeting them?"

"The meeting is at ten o'clock tonight, but I don't think you should come, Darlin'."

"And why not?" She pulled her head back to look at me with a raise eyebrow.

"Because it's dangerous."

"No more dangerous for you than it is for me, and this meeting isn't going to turn into a fight." She shot me a pointed look. "Right?"

"You've already been attacked by a wolf today, and it ended with you having wounds on your stomach. I don't want you to get hurt, Baby."

"My stomach doesn't even hurt anymore." I could feel her honesty, and I was glad that she was feeling better so quickly. I didn't like her being in pain.

"I don't want to risk it, Bella." I told her sternly.

She cupped her hands around my face. "One, there won't be a fight. Two, I won't get hurt." Her lips touched my softly and lovingly. "Everything…" She kissed down my neck. "Will be fine."

Her lips hit the sensitive spot just behind my ear and all the thoughts left my head. "I… I… I still think… I…" Damn her. Her lips trailed up to my jaw and down to my chin. She moved to my lips hovering just above them. Her deep brown eyes met mine.

"I'm going." She whispered as her bottom lip brushed mine. "Okay, Baby?" She bit her lower lip. I felt myself harden down below. I tried. I really did try to remember what the hell we were talking around. But that damn lip! Fuck it. I nodded. She intertwined her fingers in my hair and pulled me to meet her lips. I licked her bottom lip begging to be let in. She opened her mouth, and I hungrily dove in. She moved herself to my lap and slipped her hands out of my hair. I could feel her hands hovering at the bottom of my t-shirt for a second before slipping under. Her warm hands felt amazing against the cold skin of my stomach. They roamed my stomach for a minute before slipping back to the hem. She pulled my shirt up, and I leaned forward so she could remove it completely.

Her now swollen lips moved away from mine and travelled back to my neck. I couldn't stop the moan that escaped me as she sucked and kissed to my collarbone. All too quickly, she stopped and moved so she was looking at me again. A smirk played her lip as she stroked my cheek. "Thank you, Baby." She kissed my lips softly.

"Ah, for what?"

She grinned wider. "For saying I could go."

"What? I never… oh… " I playfully glared.

"Well played, Bella!" Rosalie laughed from downstairs.

Leaning forward she placed another kiss on my lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." I kissed her again. I sighed as she pulled back keeping her forehead against mine. "I still don't like the thought of you being so close to those uncontrolled mutts." Her hands trailed up my sides then met behind my neck.

"You have nothing to worry about. I got my big, strong vampire boyfriend to protect me." I grinned wrapping my arms around her waist.

"Always." I promised.

She leaned forward and kissed me for longer this time. As she pulled back, she smiled a small smile. "I'm sorry I took advantage."

"It's okay." She moved out of my lap much to my displeasure. Sitting beside me, she pulled up her shirt and started undoing her bandages. "Are you sure you should? I can get Carlisle." She rolled her eyes and shook her head continuing working to unwrap the gauze padding. As the last layer was removed, faint pink scars were revealed. I ran my fingers over them lightly and looked at her. "Do they hurt?"

"Not at all. All this worrying you're going to get gray hairs." I chuckled and pulled her close. The room was quiet for a little bit before she spoke again. "When we go tonight, please don't kill anyone."

"I'll try my best." I told her kissing her temple."


End file.
